Oscars 2026: The best and worst moments

The Oscars never just about the prizes.

Every year, Hollywood’s biggest night brings a mix of speeches that range from controversial to touching, unexpected wins, awkward jokes, and some moments that instantly take the Internet by storm. And the 2026 Academy Awards are no exception.

From a historic win for cinematography to an Oscars crowd raising K-pop light sticks, this year’s ceremony delivered plenty of memorable moments — and a few that didn’t quite come off well.

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 event with some ridiculously practical jokes. During the taped opening segment, the host played Aunt Gladys from Weaponsactress whose chaotic energy helped earn Amy Madigan an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

In the clip, O’Brien as Gladys is chased around town by a group of kids before she bursts onto the Oscars stage, one after the other.

BEST: Ryan Coogler and They are sinners to win anything

Anyway They are sinners In the end it didn’t take home Best Picture, the film still had a big night. Ryan Coogler won his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Michael B. Jordan took home Best Actor, giving the film one of the most rewarding victories of the event.

After becoming the most nominated film in Oscar history, the win felt like a well-earned victory in one of the biggest cultural moments of the year.

BAD: Interrupting “golden” songwriters mid-speech

One of the most awkward moments of the night came when the songwriters after “Golden” took off KPop Demon Hunters they were interrupted by a welcome speech during the orchestra. It’s a typical Oscars problem — heartfelt speeches are rushed for time — but the sudden cutoff felt especially unfortunate when the song has been big all year (and long the brides ran before it).

THE BAD: The Brides a long-standing encounter

Credit: Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images

I Brides the reunion brought a sweet song of comedy nostalgia, the cast reunited on stage to celebrate 15 years of comedy and to present the Best Original Score. But what started out as a catchy throwback gradually turned into longer segments of the event’s presentation. When winners have their speeches cut short, even famous comedians can feel like they’re taking up too much time.

THE BEST: Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes Oscars history

Credit: Photo by Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images

Another highlight of the night came when Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman ever to win an Oscar for Best Cinematography, a long-awaited milestone for the industry. Moments like this are always bittersweet: on the one hand, the amazing success of Durald Arkapaw – on the other, it’s hard to believe that the Academy is still hitting a milestone like this in 2026.

THE BEST: Michael B. Jordan’s emotional lead actor speech

After winning Best Actor for his performance as twins Smoke and Stack in They are sinnersMichael B. Jordan used his speech to thank longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler, saying the director gave him “a chance to be seen.” It was one of the most heartfelt moments of the festival.

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

GOOD: KPop Demon Hunters for winning Best Animated Feature

Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

The Internet’s favorite animated film finally closed out its best awards season with an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Director Maggie Kang delivered a powerful speech about representation, telling viewers, “This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”

And as a fan delight, an image of HUNTR/X appeared on the screen behind them, with Rumi holding the Oscar.

THE BAD: Sean Penn is invisible

When Sean Penn won best supporting actor, he wasn’t there to accept the award. Host Kumail Nanjiani joked that the actor “couldn’t be here tonight… even if he didn’t want to,” which got laughs but also underscored how odd it was to hand out a major acting award without the winner being there.

THE BEST: The Oscars briefly becomes a K-pop concert

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

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

THE BEST: Misty Copeland’s stunning ballet moment

Incendiary They are sinners the musical number featured a surprise appearance by ballet icon Misty Copeland, adding an incredible dance moment to the show — and it comes within feet of Best Actor Timothée Chalamet, whose recent ballet comment has gone viral on the Internet.

THE GOOD: An Oscars tie is rare

The event brought welcome chaos with Best Live Action Short Film ending in a tie, for both Singers again Two People Exchanging Spit to take home the medal.

Only the seventh grade in Oscars history, a rare moment that briefly disrupted the order of the ceremony and turned into a delightful frenzy.

WORST: Trying too hard to be “online”

In one particularly awkward moment, O’Brien explained that the Oscars wanted to appeal to younger viewers, prompting a flurry of near-internet jokes about “hostmaxxing” and references like “6-7.” The Oscars have always tried to stay culturally relevant, but here the attempt at internet comedy feels less like making a connection and more like watching a brand get Gen Alpha memes in real time.

THE BEST: A moving tribute to Rob Reiner

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

“I met Mr. Rob Reiner in 1975 when I was cast as his best friend in an episode of All in the Familyand it went so well that Rob said, ‘It was great playing your best friend. Why don’t we continue?’ And it’s been interesting to see him transform from being a leading actor to being a storyteller,” said Crystal.

THE BEST: Javier Bardem gets political

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Throughout the night, many of the winners referred to the state of the world in careful, coded ways — talking about choosing hope, resilience, or the value of art in difficult times without saying anything specific. Javier Bardem didn’t bother with euphemisms. When he entered the stage as a presenter, the actor delivered a short but direct message: “No war. Free Palestine.” This moment broke from the formal language of the ceremony and briefly expressed the careful neutrality that often defines award shows.

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

The post-credits scenes after the Oscars should be illegal. The telecast is already too long as it is! After the event ended, the broadcast returned to a sketch where 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 a single joke.