Oscars 2026: The best and worst moments

The Oscars are never just on rewards.

Every year, Hollywood’s biggest night features a mix of speeches ranging from meandering to heartwarming, unexpected victories, awkward jokes and the occasional moment that immediately takes over the internet. The 2026 Oscars were no exception.

From a historic cinematic win to an Oscar crowd waving K-pop light sticks, this year’s ceremony delivered plenty of memorable moments, as well as a few that didn’t really happen.

Here are the best and worst moments from the 2026 Oscars.

BEST: Conan O’Brien as Aunt Gladys

Leave it to Conan O’Brien to kick off the ceremony with a bit of absurd physical comedy. During a pre-recorded opening segment, the host channeled Aunt Gladys from Weaponsa character whose chaotic energy helped Amy Madigan win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In the clip, O’Brien as Gladys is chased through the city by a group of children before finally bursting onto the Oscars stage, children in tow.

BEST: Ryan Coogler and Sinners win anything

Even if Sinners didn’t end up winning Best Picture, the film still had a huge night. Ryan Coogler won his first Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, while Michael B. Jordan won for Best Actor, giving the film some of the ceremony’s most significant wins.

After becoming the most nominated film in Oscar history, these wins felt like a well-deserved victory lap for one of the biggest cultural moments of the year.

WORST: Cutting “Golden” songwriters mid-speech

Credit: Stewart Cook/Disney via Getty Images

One of the most awkward moments of the evening came when the songwriters behind “Golden” from Demon Hunters KPop were interrupted midway through the acceptance speech by the orchestra. It’s a familiar problem at the Oscars — heartfelt speeches rushing through time — but the abrupt cut seemed particularly unfortunate given how big the song has been all year (and how long the bridesmaids bit ran before).

WORST: The Bridesmaids a reunion that lasted a little long

Credit: Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images

THE Bridesmaids The reunion delivered a fun hit of comedy nostalgia, with the cast coming together on stage to celebrate the comedy’s 15th anniversary and showcase the best original music. But what started as a charming throwback slowly expanded into one of the ceremony’s longest presentations. When winners’ speeches are cut short, even great comedians can feel like they’re taking up too much time.

BEST: Autumn Durald Arkapaw Makes Oscar History

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One of the most significant wins of the evening came when Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, a long-awaited milestone for the category. Moments like this are always a little bittersweet: on the one hand, it’s an incredible feat for Durald Arkapaw — on the other, it’s hard to believe that the Academy is still reaching milestones like this in 2026.

BEST: Michael B. Jordan’s moving best actor speech

After winning Best Actor for his portrayal of twins Smoke and Stack in SinnersMichael B. Jordan used his speech to thank his longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler, saying the director gave him “an opportunity to be seen.” It was one of the most moving moments of the ceremony.

Jordan also took a moment to honor the Black actors who came before him, saying, “I’m here because of the people who came before me: Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith.”

BEST: Demon Hunters KPop winner of best animated film

Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

The Internet’s favorite animated film finally capped off its dominant awards season with an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Director Maggie Kang gave a powerful speech about the performance, telling viewers: “This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”

And to please the fans, an image of HUNTR/X appeared on the screen behind them, with Rumi holding an Oscar.

WORST: Sean Penn doesn’t show up

When Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor, he wasn’t there to accept the award. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani joked that the actor “couldn’t be here tonight…or didn’t want to be”, which drew laughter but also highlighted how strange it was to present a major acting award without the winner present.

BEST: The Oscars briefly become a K-pop concert

During the performance of “Golden,” singers EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna transformed the Dolby Theater into something closer to a K-pop concert, with stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor and Emma Stone waving their light sticks in the air.

The number also paid homage to Korean culture, featuring traditional Korean pansori singers and drummers.

BEST: Misty Copeland’s surprise ballet moment

The arsonist Sinners The musical number included a surprise appearance by ballet icon Misty Copeland, adding a striking dance moment to the show — and landing just feet from best actor nominee Timothée Chalamet, whose recent comments about the ballet have been circulating online.

BEST: A rare tie at the Oscars

The ceremony caused a little welcome chaos when Best Live-Action Short Film ended in a tie, with both The singers And Two people exchanging saliva winning the prize.

It was only the seventh tie in Oscar history, a rare moment that briefly disrupted the ceremony’s orderly structure and plunged it into delicious disarray.

WORST: Trying a little too hard to be “online”

During one particularly unfunny moment, O’Brien explained that the Oscars wanted to appeal to younger viewers, prompting a barrage of Internet jokes about “hostmaxxing” and references such as “6-7.” The Oscars have always tried to stay culturally relevant, but here the attempt at online humor felt less like making a connection and more like watching a brand discover Generation Alpha memes in real time.

BEST: A moving tribute to Rob Reiner

The Oscars’ In Memoriam segment paid tribute to the many artists the industry has lost this year, but it paused for a particularly heartfelt tribute to Rob Reiner from his close friend Billy Crystal.

“I met Mr. Rob Reiner in 1975 when I was cast as his best friend in an episode of All in familyand it went so well that Rob said, “It was fun playing your best friend.” Why don’t we continue? And it’s been exciting to watch him evolve from a great comedic actor to a master storyteller,” Crystal said.

BEST: Javier Bardem goes into politics

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Throughout the evening, many of the winners alluded to the state of the world in careful, coded ways — talking about choosing optimism, resilience or the importance of art in difficult times, without elaborating. Javier Bardem didn’t worry about euphemisms. When he took the stage as presenter, the actor delivered a brief but direct message: “No to war. Free Palestine.” The moment broke with the usual diplomatic language of the ceremony and briefly shattered the cautious neutrality that tends to define awards shows.

WORST: Conan O’Brien’s post-credits sketch

Post-credits scenes after the Oscars should be illegal. The telecast is already too long as it is! After the ceremony ended, the show returned for a sketch in which Conan O’Brien was “killed off” and replaced by YouTuber MrBeast – a gag that needed more context to understand and left viewers wondering if the show really needed an extra joke.