Best and Worst Moments From the 2026 Oscars
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There was Michael B. Jordan’s late-breaking surge to win best actor and the first ever win for best casting. There was also the,ahem, bum drum and the decision to play off a “Kpop Demon Hunters” speech. The Oscars are always filled with highs and lows.Here’s how we saw it this year.
Most Thrilling Win: Michael B. Jordan After the hugs, after he let himself smile and after the roar of the standing ovation finally subsided, the newly minted best actor, Michael B. Jordan, stepped to the mic and said: “Man, God is good.” And as one of my colleagues in the media interview room reported, a few journalists couldn’t help themselves and called back: “All the time!” Everyone seemed overjoyed by Jordan’s win for his turn as the twins Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.” His peers seemed thrilled, too, with stars like Teyana Taylor from “One Battle After Another” jumping up and down as he took the stage. And he promised to return the favor — to them and to his many fans: “I know you guys want me to do well,” he said, “and I want to do that.”
Best End to a Losing Streak: Paul Thomas Anderson
Clutching his Oscar for best director for “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson quipped, “You make a guy work hard for one of these.” And it’s true, the academy made Anderson wait a long time for his first Oscar wins — 28 years, to be exact. He was first nominated in 1998 for his original screenplay for his breakout film “Boogie Nights.” Over the years he continued to collect nominations — 14 in total — but no statuettes. That is, until he came away with three trophies on Sunday: for directing, adapted screenplay and best picture.
Sweetest Speech: Jessie Buckley
essie Buckley’s win for best actress was no surprise considering she had taken home pretty much every major prize this season for her work as a grieving mother in “Hamnet.” Still, she brought a charming, ebullient sweetness to the stage when she accepted her trophy. She keeled over with delighted laughter. She said of her family in the audience, “Ireland bought them flights!” And she explained that her eight-month-old daughter was “probably dreaming of milk.” On her awards run, Buckley proved she had a knack for finding profundity in her joy. She dedicated her Oscar to the “beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.” And “beautiful chaos” is a good way to describe a Jessie Buckley speech.
Punchiest Cold Open
Conan O’Brien on the run at the start of the Oscars.Philip Cheung for The New York Times
Awards-show opening montages can feel forced, but on Sunday night, the host Conan O’Brien adapted the climactic chase scene from “Weapons” into high-energy comedy gold. Done up to look like the film’s lipstick-smeared, red-wigged witch Gladys, O’Brien careened through scenes from several of the year’s nominated films with a mob of “Weapons” kids on his heels. When he popped into “Sinners” singing the Irish folk classic “Danny Boy,” it felt like destiny. Putting a bow on it: Amy Madigan, who played Gladys, won the first Oscar of the night, best supporting actress, for the role
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