Actress Jodie Foster, delivering a complex and controversial speech as she received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, officially came out as “a private person,” adding, “I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago.”

The riveting speech brought tears to many eyes in the audience, notably, to Mel Gibson, and was both praised and panned on social media, like Twitter.

Foster claimed she will never again appear on stage, but will forever carry a different stick, so the world knows, “Jodie Foster was here.”

Which, clearly, confused many:

From the pressroom: Jodie Foster says that she’s not retiring from acting. She’s looking forward to directing more. #GoldenGlobes

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 14, 2013

Foster, who announced with raised arms she is 50, added, “I will continue to tell stories. To move people by being moved … I want to be seen to be understood deeply.”

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from,” she also said.

Foster “took to the stage to give a … retirement speech? A coming-out speech? It was hard to tell,” the LA Times wrote:

She was receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement when she ramped up to confess that she was single … and seemed to sidestep directly addressing any questions about her sexual orientation.

Her acceptance speech at the 70th annual awards was also a rant in favor of privacy that brought many people to its feet. Foster noted that she has lived virtually her entire life in the public eye yet wanted to keep some things private. “I have given everything up there from the time I was 3 years old,” she said. “That is reality enough.” (Memo to Foster: Nothing will destroy an attempt at privacy like telling the world you want to keep your life private.)

She did thank her ex-partner and co-parent, Cydney Bernard, and suggested that she was embarking on Act 2 of her career.

Jodie Foster just came out at the Golden Globes. I think? (Our sound went out, too.) #goldenglobes

— HuffPostEnt (@HuffPostEnt) January 14, 2013

Jodie Foster’s speech is going to require a lot of unpacking. It’s THE MASTER of awards-show speeches.

— Scott Tobias (@scott_tobias) January 14, 2013

I’m actually rattled by Jodie Foster’s speech. Basically if you’re a young gay person you should hide it until you have to quit your job?

— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) January 14, 2013

This Jodie Foster speech riveting. Just riveting.

— Frank Bruni (@FrankBruni) January 14, 2013

I’m glad about and proud of Jodie Foster for her tribute to her family, her frankness and her championing of privacy. She’s a class act.

— Howard Fineman (@howardfineman) January 14, 2013

Jodie Foster has come out as “single.” “I already did my coming out 1000 years ago in the Stone Age.” #GoldenGIobes

— Jace Lacob (@televisionary) January 14, 2013

Wow Jodie Foster at goldenglobes makes me want to join the lesbians

— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) January 14, 2013

Was so honored to hear that Jodie Foster watches me on @extratv ! twitter.com/MarioLopezExtr…

— Mario Lopez (@MarioLopezExtra) January 14, 2013

Well, Jodie Foster just won the award for best acceptance speech. Yes, “Jodie Foster was here.” And we hear you. #GoldenGIobes

— Jace Lacob (@televisionary) January 14, 2013

Image via Instagram by Jaredeng, Founder of JustJared.com and JustJaredJr.com

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