Best (and worst) moments from the 2026 Oscars, from Conan to ‘Sinners’
Best (and worst) moments from the 2026 Oscars, from Conan to ‘Sinners’
Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY Mon, March 16, 2026 at 4:12 AM UTC
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That's all she wrote for the 98th Academy Awards.
The 2026 Oscars were full of ups and downs, of winners and losers, gorgeous gowns and daring fashions. And of course, some moments were better than others.
From historic wins, like the first woman to win for cinematography and seventh-ever Oscar tie, to awkward silences to moving tributes and very, very long bits from host Conan O’Brien, the March 15 ceremony was emotional and eventful.
If you missed any or all of the long, glittering ceremony on ABC and Hulu, we’ve rounded up the biggest, best and even the worst moments of the night.
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1 / 0Oscars 2026 red carpet – See every look from Kate Hudson to Michael B. Jordan
The biggest A-listers in Hollywood brought their most lavish looks to the red carpet at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15. See the best fashion of the night, starting with Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson
Too much of Oscar host Conan O’Brien
Conan O'Brien hosted the 2026 Oscars for a second year in a row. But it was all too much.
His monologue was politely inoffensive and somewhat chuckle-worthy, but overall Conan O'Brien had too heavy a presence at the ceremony, and not quite enough return on the investment. His opening montage and monologue was nearly 20 minutes long, his bits between categories played on boring stereotypes and cheap punchlines. Whenever O’Brien made an appearance, it just felt like filler, compared to all the emotional and genuine moments of the evening.
Amy Madigan kicks off the night with a delighted, ‘flummoxed’ best supporting actress win
Veteran actress Amy Madigan has been the surprise darling of this award season for her zany, full-throated performance as Aunt Gladys in the horror film “Weapons.” The actress was first nominated in 1986 and referenced that huge passage of time in her sweet acceptance speech: “Everyone in the press has been asking me, ‘It’s been 40 years, what’s different?’ What’s different is I’ve got this little gold guy!”
‘Sinners’ brings down the house with ‘I Lied to You’ performance
Shaboozey, Raphael Saadiq, Miles Caton and Misty Copeland perform the best original song nominee from "Sinners."
In a rousing, almost euphoric performance, “Sinners” breakout star Miles Caton brought the juke joint to life alongside a murderers’ row of musicians and performers. Sharing the stage with the song’s cowriter Raphael Saadiq, Shaboozey, Brittany Howard, ballet legend Misty Copeland and more, Caton and his grooving ensemble captured the very essence of the Oscar-nominated film in just a few scant minutes. It was cool, electrifying and moving, the way all great cinema is.
Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour bring ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ to life
In a nod to the upcoming sequel to “The Devil Wears Prada” (in theaters May 1), Anne Hathaway was joined by former Vogue editor Anna Wintour – the inspiration for Meryl Streep’s “Devil” fashion editor – to present the best costume and makeup and hairstyling Oscars with a guffaw-worthy reference to the first film, in which Wintour calls Hathaway “Emily,” just like Streep’s character did.
The evening's historic tie almost gets totally ruined
1 / 0See the best celebrity photos captured at the 2026 Oscars
Host Conan O'Brien welcomes viewers and audience members to the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, March 15, 2026.
For only the seventh time in history, the Oscar vote ended in a tie. “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” both walked away with golden statuettes for the best live-action short film category. But the moment was almost ruined when the production tried to cut off the acceptance speech of the “Saliva” filmmakers, not just playing over one of them but also retracting the microphone and cutting to O’Brien. After a clunky moment of audience groans and O’Brien trying to keep a straight face, the camera moved back to the winners.
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Ryan Coogler gets his ‘Sinners’ Oscar for best original screenplay
Ryan Coogler, the multi-hyphenate filmmaker who made allegorical, historical vampire film “Sinners” the most Oscar-nominated movie of all time, nabbed his first Oscar for writing its screenplay. To a raucous standing ovation that he had to quiet down to speak, the writer and director took his award from Marvel buddies Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., the most joyous moment of a night filled with happiness for the winners.
A moving tribute to those we lost including Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara, Robert Redford and Diane Keaton
Every Oscars ceremony has an “in memoriam” tribute to those in the industry who died in the past year, but it’s been a particularly heartbreaking period for Hollywood, which lost legends like Rob Reiner, Robert Redford and Diane Keaton. The telecast went beyond the usual montage and sad song this year to say goodbye to these icons of cinema. Billy Crystal and a stage filled with alums from Reiner’s beloved films saluted the actor, producer and director. Rachel McAdams was close to tears as she spoke of her respect and adoration for Keaton. Barbra Streisand spoke candidly and emotionally as she talked about Redford, picking up the mic to sing out her emotions in a way only she could, belting the lyrics to the title song from her and Redford’s 1973 film, “The Way We Were.”
The casts of ‘Bridesmaids,’ Marvel's ‘Avengers’ and ‘Moulin Rouge!’ reunited
1 / 0From 'Bridesmaids' to 'Avengers,' see all the best reunions at the 2026 Oscars
From Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour doing a hilarious 'Devil Wears Prada' bit to Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans bringing back the 'Avengers,' see all the best cast and film reunions at the 2026 Academy Awards.Pictured here, Wintour (L) and Hathaway present the Oscar for Best Costume Design onstage during the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026.
Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans haven’t super-suited-up together in a Marvel superhero movie since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, but they put on some penguin suits as presenters. And they weren’t the only big reunion on Oscar night. “Bridesmaids” stars Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper and Maya Rudolph took the stage to present two awards, with an extended bit about how “well” they’ve aged, and nods to the jokes from the original film. No wedding dresses were harmed during the jokes. The last reunion of the night was maybe the biggest, as Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman sang some of their “Moulin Rouge!” lines before presenting best picture.
Rei Ami (from left), EJAE and Audrey Nuna from "KPop Demon Hunters" perform on stage during the Oscars.The ‘Golden’ performance was too late − and too anticlimactic
Fans had to stay up way past their bedtimes to catch EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami sing the chart-topping “Golden” from Netflix’s animated (and now Oscar-winning) hit “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” The singers from the film didn’t take the stage until almost 10 p.m. ET, and belted out an abbreviated version of the song in appropriately metallic outfits. Considering the massive cultural impact of the song, it was a bit of an anticlimactic event, lacking some of the bombast of other performances of the track. The Oscar it won a few minutes later will just have to be the consolation prize.
Paul Thomas Anderson gets his long-deserved Oscars for original screenplay and directing
Director, writer and producer Paul Thomas Anderson has been working in Hollywood for a long time and many times nominated for his films, going all the way back to “Boogie Nights” in 1998. But it’s his 2025 film “One Battle After Another” that finally brought him to the stage both for writing and directing awards, two of the biggest prizes of the night. The clearly touched Anderson joked that the Academy really made him “work hard” for the win.
Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley celebrate moms with best actor and actress wins
Jessie Buckley accepts the award for best actress for "Hamnet."
Lots of people get standing ovations at the Academy Awards, but not everyone can get a crowd screaming and shouting like Michael B. Jordan, when the actor won the best actor trophy for “Sinners.” Thanking God, his mom (and date) and his father, who flew in from Ghana, Jordan gave one of the best speeches of the night.
Soon afterward, Jessie Buckley won best actress for “Hamnet” and dedicated her win “to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.”
“We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds,” she said.
‘One Battle After Another’ wins the awards season battle, gets best picture Oscar
Grabbing his third trophy of the night, Paul Thomas Anderson joined his jubilant cast (including Teyana Taylor, literally jumping for joy) onstage and got the last words of the night. “We’re happy to be part of this wonderful, wonderful journey with our fellow nominees, our fellow filmmakers. ... What a night, let’s have a martini, this is pretty amazing."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscars 2026 highlights – See the best and worst moments you missed
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