Well, they did it again. Just when we thought awards season couldn’t get any more unpredictable\u2014when we assumed we could all safely bet the house on Paul Thomas Anderson and call it a night\u2014the 98th Academy Awards looked at the script and said, “Let’s make this weird.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2026 Oscars, held Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and hosted for the second consecutive year by the eternally gangly Conan O’Brien<\/strong>, delivered everything we could have wanted and approximately 47 things we never saw coming <\/a>. There were historic firsts, emotional gut-punches, a tie that confused everyone, and at least one moment where a K-pop group got played off mid-speech while the internet collectively lost its mind <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s dive into the chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling political thriller\u00a0“One Battle After Another<\/a>“<\/strong>\u00a0entered the night as the frontrunner and left as the undisputed champion, taking home\u00a0six Oscars<\/strong>\u00a0including the night’s biggest prize,\u00a0Best Picture<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/a>. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a> as a washed-up revolutionary, also earned Anderson his long-overdue first competitive Oscars for\u00a0Best Director<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Best Adapted Screenplay<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Let’s have a martini; this is pretty amazing,” Anderson said, closing out the night with the kind of low-key charm that makes you forget he’s now officially an Oscar-winning director <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sean Penn<\/strong> added to the film’s haul with Best Supporting Actor<\/strong>, becoming the fourth man in Academy history to win three acting Oscars, joining the exclusive club of Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, and Daniel Day-Lewis <\/a>. Penn wasn’t there to accept it\u2014because of course he wasn’t\u2014leaving presenter Kieran Culkin to deadpan, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If “One Battle” was the expected victor,\u00a0“Sinners<\/a>“<\/strong>\u00a0was the glorious spoiler. Ryan Coogler’s supernatural horror film, which made history by entering the night with a record-setting\u00a016 nominations<\/strong>, walked away with\u00a0four wins<\/strong>\u2014including some of the most significant awards of the evening\u00a0<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael B. Jordan<\/strong> took home Best Actor<\/strong> for his dual performance as twin brothers, beating out a stacked field that included Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio <\/a>. The moment was particularly sweet for Jordan, who went from “All My Children” to “The Wire” to Oscar winner. In his speech, he thanked the Black actors who paved the way\u2014Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, and Will Smith\u2014and gave a special shout-out to director Ryan Coogler for “betting on original ideas and original artistry” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coogler himself won Best Original Screenplay<\/strong>, his first Oscar, proving that sometimes the house doesn’t always win <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the night’s most historic moment belonged to cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw<\/strong>, who became the first woman (and first Black person) ever to win Best Cinematography<\/strong> <\/a><\/a>. She’s only the second female nominee in the category’s history, and she used her speech to shout out the first: Rachel Morrison (“Mudbound”) and Spike Lee’s frequent collaborator Ellen Kuras <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jessie Buckley<\/strong>, long deemed the frontrunner for her devastating performance in “Hamnet,”<\/strong> finally got her moment, winning Best Actress<\/strong> and delivering what might be the line of the night: dedicating her win to “the wonderful chaos of a mother’s heart” <\/a>. It was Mother’s Day in the UK, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy Madigan<\/strong> won Best Supporting Actress<\/strong> for her terrifying turn as Aunt Gladys in the horror film “Weapons”<\/strong> <\/a>. The 75-year-old veteran, who had already won at the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards, gave a speech that was equal parts gratitude and pure, unadulterated joy <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Netflix’s animated phenomenon “KPop Demon Hunters”<\/strong> didn’t just win\u2014it made history. The film took home Best Animated Feature<\/strong>, with co-director Maggie Kang delivering an emotional message: “This is for Korea, and for Koreans everywhere,” acknowledging how long it had taken for animated movies to feature people who look like her <\/a>. Co-director Chris Applehans added, “Tell your story, sing in your voice. I promise you the world is waiting” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the real drama came when the film’s earworm song “Golden”<\/strong> won Best Original Song<\/strong>\u2014the first K-pop song ever to receive the honor <\/a>. Singer EJAE, in tears, shared: “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking KPop, but now everyone is singing our song and all the Korean lyrics and I’m so proud” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then things got awkward. As her co-writers tried to speak, the play-off music started. And then it got louder. And then the lights dimmed. And then they cut to commercial <\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media erupted. “Alright f*** the Oscars for cutting off Best Original Song for Golden KPop Demon Hunters. Absolute disrespect and disgraceful,” one fan fumed <\/a>. Inside the auditorium, the audience looked upset. The mic was completely dead. The moment was ruined. But the history? That’s forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a moment that hasn’t happened in 14 years, the Academy announced a tie<\/strong> in the Best Live Action Short category <\/a>. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani looked genuinely stunned: “And the Oscar goes to\u2014it’s a tie! I’m not joking, it’s actually a tie. Everyone, calm down, we’re going to get through this” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Singers”<\/strong> and “Two People Exchanging Saliva”<\/strong> both won, marking only the seventh tie in Oscar history <\/a>. Nanjiani quipped that it was “ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long” to present <\/a>. The directors of both films handled it with grace, with the “Two People” team saying they were “so happy to be sharing this Oscar with The Singers” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The “in memoriam” segment hit differently this year. It opened with a moment dedicated to the late Rob Reiner<\/strong> and his wife Michele, who died tragically in December. Billy Crystal<\/strong>, Reiner’s “When Harry Met Sally” star, called their loss “immeasurable” and closed with a heartbreaking, “Buddy, what fun we had storming the castle” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rachel McAdams<\/strong> spoke about the late Diane Keaton<\/strong>, her “The Family Stone” co-star, tearfully recounting Keaton’s habit of reciting “Make new friends, but keep the old” on set <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came Barbra Streisand<\/strong>. The EGOT winner, 83, took the stage to honor her “The Way We Were” co-star Robert Redford<\/strong>, who died in September 2025 at 89 <\/a>. She called him an “intellectual cowboy,” revealed his fond nickname for her (“Babs”), and then\u2014without warning\u2014launched into a rendition of “The Way We Were” that had the room in tears <\/a>. Some critics noted her voice wasn’t what it used to be, but honestly? She’s Barbra Streisand. She can sing the phone book and we’ll clap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conan O’Brien wasted exactly zero time going after the internet’s favorite punching bag. In his opening monologue, he referenced Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet’s recent controversial comments about opera and ballet being irrelevant <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Security is extremely tight tonight. I’m just going to mention that,” Conan said. “I’m told there’s a concern about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities” <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The camera cut to Chalamet, seated beside girlfriend Kylie Jenner, smiling nervously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “They’re just mad you left out jazz,” Conan added <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later in the night, Conan tried to make amends, telling the crowd he and Chalamet were “vibing.” “We’re vibing, right?” he asked. Chalamet’s reply wasn’t picked up by the mic. “He doesn’t think so,” Conan concluded <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And just to add insult to injury? Chalamet lost Best Actor to Michael B. Jordan <\/a>. He looked visibly disappointed but offered polite applause. Somewhere, every opera singer in America raised a glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conan declared Leonardo DiCaprio the “king of memes” and then forced him to create a new one in real time <\/a>. The camera cut to DiCaprio looking awkward as Conan narrated: “That feeling when you didn’t agree to this.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n DiCaprio, ever the professional, turned to the camera, offered a playful smirk and a shrug, and a new meme was born <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, during a “Bridesmaids” reunion skit, Rose Byrne read a faux note from DiCaprio about being uncomfortable with her staring. Leo responded with raised eyebrows and a double-pistol finger salute. It will be a meme. Guaranteed <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The red carpet, designed to look like a calm Zen garden with trees lining the walkway, saw stars arrive in force <\/a>. Priyanka Chopra Jonas<\/strong> and husband Nick Jonas<\/strong> turned heads, Priyanka in a custom Dior white gown with diaphanous volume and a “perfectly snatched waist,” Nick in a black velvet tuxedo <\/a>. Emma Stone<\/strong> shimmered in a striking silver dress with a short bob that screamed old Hollywood <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Javier Bardem<\/strong> and Priyanka Chopra Jonas<\/strong> took the stage to present Best International Feature Film, and Bardem didn’t waste the platform. He opened with a powerful declaration: “No to war and free Palestine” <\/a><\/a>. The audience applauded loudly. Priyanka nodded and smiled, then reflected on cinema’s power to transcend borders <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Norway’s “Sentimental Value”<\/strong> won the award, with director Joachim Trier quoting James Baldwin in his speech <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cast of the beloved 2011 comedy “Bridesmaids”<\/strong> reunited on stage to present Best Original Score and Best Sound <\/a>. Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph,<\/strong> and Ellie Kemper<\/strong>\u2014minus Wendi McLendon-Covey, who director Paul Feig said was simply “not available”\u2014delivered the kind of chaotic energy that made us all want a sequel <\/a>. Paul Thomas Anderson, newly minted Oscar winner, gave them a standing ovation from his seat <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Picture<\/strong> Best Director<\/strong> Best Actor<\/strong> Best Actress<\/strong> Best Supporting Actor<\/strong> Best Supporting Actress<\/strong> Best Original Screenplay<\/strong> Best Adapted Screenplay<\/strong> Best Animated Feature<\/strong> Best International Feature<\/strong> Best Documentary Feature<\/strong> Best Original Song<\/strong> Best Original Score<\/strong> Best Cinematography<\/strong> Best Film Editing<\/strong> Best Sound<\/strong> Best Visual Effects<\/strong> Best Production Design<\/strong> Best Costume Design<\/strong> Best Makeup and Hairstyling<\/strong> Best Casting<\/strong> Best Animated Short<\/strong> Best Live Action Short (TIE)<\/strong> Best Documentary Short<\/strong>The Big Winner: “One Battle After Another” Fought and Conquered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Vampire That Wouldn’t Be Denied: “Sinners” Stakes Its Claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Acting Awards: First-Timers and Favorites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The K-Pop Invasion: “KPop Demon Hunters” Makes History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Tie That Shocked Everyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Tributes: Tears, Songs, and Memories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Roast of Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The New Leo Meme Is Born<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Fashion: White Gowns and Snatched Waists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Political Moments: Free Palestine and No to War<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Bridesmaids Reunion We Didn’t Know We Needed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Full Winners List (For Your Office Pool Bragging Rights)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 WINNER
“Bugonia”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” \u2013 WINNER
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
Chlo\u00e9 Zhao, “Hamnet” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners” \u2013 WINNER
Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” \u2013 WINNER
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone, “Bugonia” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another” \u2013 WINNER
Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”
Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, “Sentimental Value” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amy Madigan, “Weapons” \u2013 WINNER
Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”
Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Sinners” \u2013 Ryan Coogler \u2013 WINNER
“Blue Moon” \u2013 Robert Kaplow
“It Was Just an Accident” \u2013 Jafar Panahi
“Marty Supreme” \u2013 Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” \u2013 Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 Paul Thomas Anderson \u2013 WINNER
“Bugonia” \u2013 Will Tracy
“Frankenstein” \u2013 Guillermo del Toro
“Hamnet” \u2013 Chlo\u00e9 Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
“Train Dreams” \u2013 Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“KPop Demon Hunters” \u2013 WINNER
“Arco”
“Elio”
“Little Am\u00e9lie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Sentimental Value” (Norway) \u2013 WINNER
“The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
“It Was Just an Accident” (France)
“Sir\u00e2t” (Spain)
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia) <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” \u2013 WINNER
“The Alabama Solution”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cutting Through Rocks”
“The Perfect Neighbor” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Golden” \u2013 “KPop Demon Hunters” \u2013 WINNER
“Dear Me” \u2013 “Diane Warren: Relentless”
“I Lied to You” \u2013 “Sinners”
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” \u2013 “Viva Verdi!”
“Train Dreams” \u2013 “Train Dreams” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Sinners” \u2013 Ludwig Goransson \u2013 WINNER
“Bugonia” \u2013 Jerskin Fendrix
“Frankenstein” \u2013 Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet” \u2013 Max Richter
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 Jonny Greenwood <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Sinners” \u2013 Autumn Durald Arkapaw \u2013 WINNER
“Frankenstein” \u2013 Dan Laustsen
“Marty Supreme” \u2013 Darius Khondji
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 Michael Bauman
“Train Dreams” \u2013 Adolpho Veloso <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 Andy Jurgensen \u2013 WINNER
“F1” \u2013 Stephen Mirrione
“Marty Supreme” \u2013 Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” \u2013 Olivier Bugge Coutt\u00e9
“Sinners” \u2013 Michael P. Shawver <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“F1” \u2013 WINNER
“Frankenstein”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Sir\u00e2t” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” \u2013 WINNER
“F1”
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Frankenstein” \u2013 Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau \u2013 WINNER
“Hamnet” \u2013 Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton
“Marty Supreme” \u2013 Jack Fisk and Adam Willis
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino
“Sinners” \u2013 Hannah Beachler and Monique Champagne <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Frankenstein” \u2013 Kate Hawley \u2013 WINNER
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” \u2013 Deborah L. Scott
“Hamnet” \u2013 Malgosia Turzanska
“Marty Supreme” \u2013 Miyako Bellizz
“Sinners” \u2013 Ruth E. Carter <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Frankenstein” \u2013 Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey \u2013 WINNER
“Kokuho” \u2013 Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
“Sinners” \u2013 Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
“The Smashing Machine” \u2013 Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein
“The Ugly Stepsister” \u2013 Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“One Battle After Another” \u2013 Cassandra Kulukundis \u2013 WINNER
“Hamnet” \u2013 Nina Gold
“Marty Supreme” \u2013 Jennifer Venditti
“The Secret Agent” \u2013 Gabriel Domingues
“Sinners” \u2013 Francine Maisler <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls” \u2013 WINNER
“Butterfly”
“Forevergreen”
“Retirement Plan”
“The Three Sisters” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Singers” \u2013 WINNER
“Two People Exchanging Saliva” \u2013 WINNER
“Butcher’s Stain”
“A Friend of Dorothy”
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
“All the Empty Rooms” \u2013 WINNER
“Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud”
“Children No More: Were and Are Gone”
“The Devil Is Busy”
“Perfectly a Strangeness” <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Final Word<\/h2>\n\n\n\n