Academy award winner Emerald Fennell confirms pregnancy post Oscar ceremony

WASHINGTON: After winning the Best Original Screenplay award at the 2021 Oscars, Hollywood star Emerald Fennell confirmed that she's pregnant with her second child by giving a flirty remark about 'Saved by the Bell' star Zack Morris.

According to E! News, after winning her award for 'Promising Young Woman', which she also directed, Emerald gave a memorable acceptance speech in which she joked about writing an Oscars speech at age 10 that thanked 'Saved by the Bell' character Zack Morris for being a supportive partner.

While accepting her Oscar, Emerald told the audience, "So, the only speech I ever wrote was when I was 10, and I had a look to see if there'd be anything useful from it, but unfortunately, it mostly thanked Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell. He was my very supportive husband."

Joking further on the subject, she added, "Unfortunately, he hasn't been as much a part of my life as I'd hoped, and so that speech is not that useful."

After the ceremony, while addressing reporters from the press room, Emerald confirmed that she's pregnant and expecting her second child with her husband Chris Vernon. The pair welcomed a baby boy in 2019.

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On being asked about whether she realized that Zack Morris' name had started trending on social media as a result of her speech, Emerald said, "No, really? Oh, gosh, how embarrassing."

Regarding whether she would consider naming her new child after the character portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the filmmaker quipped, "Well, you know, actually, if Zack Morris doesn't mind this situation [rubs belly], I think we should just really give it a go."

At another point in the press room, Emerald told E! News that she hopes to potentially make more films that are "glossy and feminine and poppy," but are also "discussing some very difficult and dark subject matter."

Prior to the ceremony, Carey Mulligan, who was nominated for Best Actress for her role in the film 'Promising Young Woman', told E! News exclusively that her director was "just the best person."