Michelle Yeoh's mom had the most 'proud mama bear' reaction to her daughter's historic Oscar win

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 14, 2023. It has since been updated.

Michelle Yeoh has fans around the world. However, her biggest fan is her mother, Janet Yeoh. Michelle created history on March 12, 2023, by becoming the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress. Although she wasn't present in the Dolby Theater to witness the historic moment, Yeoh watched the 95th Oscars live from Malaysia and was overwhelmed with tears of joy when they announced her daughter as the winner. She was seen cheering for her daughter enthusiastically along with the crowd at the viewing party, reports TODAY. Michelle bagged the Oscar for her powerful performance in the sci-fi movie, "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

A video uploaded by AFP shows Yeoh gushing about Michelle in a press conference following the actress' win. "I'm very excited. I'm proud of my daughter. I love my daughter. My daughter is a hardworking girl," she said.

The proud mom was also seen making a symbol for a bagel with her hands in reference to her daughter's movie. Michelle's co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu and other cast members also kept making the same symbol throughout the ceremony night whenever their movie won an award.

Michelle's niece, Vicki Yeoh, told reporters: "It was such a jaw-dropping moment. I was speechless, I cried. The nominees are really strong, but we had no doubts. We keep telling her you will win, we're going to envision it for you. You're going to stand on stage with the golden man. She's gonna get it." The family was joined at the special screening by two ministers from the Malaysian cabinet and many supporters of the actress.

Yeoh—who said that her daughter has made "Malayasia proud"—added that she is also proud of her "little princess," who wanted to be a ballerina before entering the film industry. She stated that she encouraged her daughter to venture out of her cocoon despite objections from her late husband who, according to Yeoh, was "old-fashioned," reports Associated Press.

According to USA Today, in her acceptance speech at the Oscars, Michelle dedicated her landmark victory to her beloved mother. The 60-year-old said: "I have to dedicate this to my mom, and all the moms in the world, because they are the superheroes, without them none of us would be here tonight. (My mom) is 84 and I'm taking this home to her, watching in Malaysia. I'm bringing this home to you, and my extended family in Hong Kong where I started my career. Thank you to the Academy, this is history in the making."

After accepting the award, Michelle got on a video call with her mother and showed her the coveted golden statue. Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, joined others in congratulating Michelle for creating history. "Coupled with this achievement, Michelle's illustrious and exemplary career in this field will certainly continue to be a source of great inspiration and motivation to our homegrown actors and actresses and provide even greater impetus to the growth of our local industry," Anwar said in a statement. "Way to go, Michelle!"

In her speech, Michelle also had a special message for her fans—both young and old. "For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof—dream big and dreams do come true," she said. "And ladies, don't let anybody tell you you're ever past your prime. Never give up."