los angeles — The 2026 Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, had no shortage of highlights!
Here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments from Hollywood’s biggest night.
This collage photo shows Michael B. Jordan, left, Conan O’Brien, center, and Iggy, right, at the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
‘One Battle After Another’ wins big at the 98th Academy Awards
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” won six Oscars out of 13 nominations.
The film won awards:
- Directed by – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Film editing – Andy Jorgensen
- Adapted screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Supporting Actor – Sean Penn
- Cast – Cassandra Kouloconidis
Full list | Winners of the 98th Academy Awards
Michael B. Jordan wins Best Actor in emotional Oscars moment
The actor won an Oscar for his role as Smoke and Stack in the movie Sinners.
Jordan highlighted his family in the audience in his acceptance speech, and also acknowledged his relationship with Sinners director Ryan Coogler in his speech.
Michael B. Jordan won the Academy Award for Best Actor for “Sinners” at the 2026 Academy Awards.
“You are a wonderful, amazing person,” he said. “I am very honored to call you my collaborator and friend. You have given me the opportunity and space to see me. I love you too, brother. I love you to death.”
He concluded with a message of thanks to his supporters, saying: “Thank you for… betting on me, I will continue to progress, and I will continue to be the best version of myself.”
In Memoriam honors icons Rob Reiner, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and more
The Academy Awards in Memoriam, which honors industry legends we’ve lost over the past year, was a powerful segment in which Hollywood icons were honored by our fellow actors.
Actor Billy Crystal paid tribute to legendary film director Rob Reiner as well as Michelle Singer Reiner.
“Rob and Michelle Reiner became the driving force in the historic decision on marriage equality in the United States,” Crystal said to loud applause. “Their loss is priceless.”
More | Rob Reiner was honored by Billy Crystal at an emotional Oscars ceremony
The Oscars’ In Memoriam segment, which honors industry legends we’ve lost over the past year, began with a tribute to Rob and Michelle Reiner.
In this clip, Rachel McAdams comes out to honor the many who have been lost, including Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton.
Later, in memory of Robert Redford, Barbara Streisand took to the stage to honor her friend and fellow actor.
Rare Oscars tie
The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film was tied at the 98th Academy Awards – the first time Oscar voting had ended in a tie in more than a decade.
The creators of “The Singers” and “Two People Exchange Saliva” took turns on stage to accept their awards.
“The Singers” and “Two People Exchange Saliva” tied, with both films winning the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
“And the Oscar goes… It’s a tie! I’m not kidding. It’s actually a tie. Calm down everyone, we’ll get through this. Focus,” host Kumail Nanjiani said. “I’ll name one winner. They’ll come and present their award. Then I’ll come back and name another winner, and then they’ll accept their award. Here we go!”
“A tie. Wow. I didn’t know that was a thing… a tie. But we’re glad to be here,” said Sam A. Davis, author of “The Singers.”
The tie has been awarded six times in Oscar history, most recently in 2013 when Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall tied for Best Sound Editing.
More | Oscars 2026 red carpet: See celebrity fashion, looks and trends
Perhaps the most famous tie in Oscar history was when Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) and Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) tied for Best Actress in 1969.
Streisand’s win was controversial at the time since she had been entered into the Academy’s voting body before her win, meaning she apparently voted for herself. Typically, nominees are presented the year following their ceremony.
Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has more than 10,000 voting members. The rule is that if there is an exact match in the vote total, the win is considered a tie.
The appearance of the character “Grogu” in the movie “Star Wars” is surprising
Sigourney Weaver, Pedro Pascal and Grogu shared a hilarious moment with Kate Hudson at the 98th Academy Awards.
Hudson was seen hanging out with the adorable “Star Wars” character in the audience.
Conan O’Brien joked with Grogu from the “Star Wars” franchise.
Weaver, jokingly with Hudson, told her to “stay away from him.”
Weaver and Pascal will star in The Mandalorian & Grogu” which will be released on May 22.
Bridesmaids and the Devil Wears Prada “Plaid”
Anne Hathaway took the stage with fashion icon Anna Wintour, the designer who inspired Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada.
When Hathaway asked Wintour what she thought of her dress, Wintour played picky designer and ignored her.
Anna Wintour joined Anne Hathaway on stage at the 2026 Academy Awards to present the award for Best Costume Design.
Hathaway will star in the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, which is scheduled to premiere on May 1.
The Oscars also brought the “Bridesmaids” cast together, 15 years after the film’s 2011 release.
Rose Byrne, who was nominated for Best Actress for her role in If I Had Two Legs I’d Kick You, was joined on stage by Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy and Ellie Kemper to present the award for Best Original Score.
The cast of Bridesmaids gathered on stage at the 98th Academy Awards.
On the red carpet earlier in the evening, McCarthy said she would be filming another “Bridesmaids” movie immediately, saying: “We really need comedies.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” makes history at the Oscars
The film made history Sunday night at the 2026 Academy Awards, winning Best Animated Feature, while its hit song “Golden” also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The victories marked a milestone for South Korean creators.
Director Maggie Kang became the first female filmmaker of South Korean descent to win the Best Animated Feature category, while several of the “Golden” writers became the first South Koreans to win the Best Original Song category.
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” became the first Korean song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 2026 Academy Awards.
In her speech, Kang reflected on the long wait for Korean representation in a film like this, while celebrating the important event for future generations.
She said: “Thank you, thank you to the academy and to all the fans who got us here.” “And for those of you who are like me, I’m so sorry it took us so long to see a movie like this. But it’s here. And it means future generations won’t have to long. This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”
Ri Ami, from left, Ejay, and Audrey Nona perform “Golden” from the K-Pop film Demon Hunters during the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
An emotional moment from the mother of the child who was killed at Uvalde Elementary School
“All the Empty Rooms,” which documents the bedrooms left behind by children when they are killed in school shootings, won the Academy Award for best documentary short.
Gloria Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter Jackie was killed in the 2022 mass shooting at Rupp Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and whose bedroom was among the rooms included in the documentary, spoke onstage as the filmmakers accepted her Oscar.
Joshua Seftel and Conal Jones won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for “All the Empty Rooms” at the 2026 Academy Awards.
Since Jackie’s murder, “her bedroom has been frozen in time,” Cazares said. “Jackie is more than just a headline. She is our light and our life. Gun violence is now the number one cause of death among children and teens. We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, we would be a different America. Thank you.”
Autumn Dorald Arkapaw became the first woman to win for cinematography in an emotional moment
“Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Dorald Arkapaw made history Sunday night as the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Arkapaw is only the third woman to be nominated in this category in the history of the Academy Awards. Before winning the award, she had already made history as the first woman of color to be nominated in this category.
She also made history as the first black person to win this category.
Autumn Dorald Arkapaw is the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for “Sinners” at the 2026 Academy Awards.
Arkapaw took to the stage to thunderous applause from the audience at the Dolby Theatre.
“Whenever I say thank you to Ryan [Coogler]He answers and says: No, thank you. Thank you for your trust in me, and thank you for your trust in me. “This is the kind of guy I could make movies with,” Arkapaw said. “And he means it. He really, really means it.”
Conan O’Brien rushes to open the Oscars as kids from ‘Weapons’ chase him onto the stage
The Oscars host kicked off Hollywood’s biggest night with a sketch inspired by the movie “Weapons,” starring as the film’s Oscar-winning villain, Amy Madigan.
Children chase Conan O’Brien’s replacement after a pre-recorded scene opens the 98th Academy Awards.
After being chased by children, as Madigan’s character was in the film’s final act, O’Brien rushes through scenes from the Best Picture-nominated films – ending with a live-action sequence in which children chase him through the aisles of the Dolby Theater and onto the Oscars stage.
Oscars host Conan O’Brien kicked off the 98th Academy Awards with a monologue touching on this year’s nominated films and actors.
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Disney is the parent company of this ABC station.