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Conan O’Brien Hosts the 98th Academy Awards; “One Battle After Another” Wins Big
March 15, 2026. Late-night show host Conan O’Brien made his debut as the host of the 98th Academy Awards Ceremony, broadcast live from the Dolby® Theater on the ABC Network. The winners in all 24 film categories are listed below:
Best Picture: “One Battle After Another”
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Original Song: “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
Original Score: “Sinners,” Ludwig Göransson
Animated Film: “KPop Demon Hunters”
International Film: “Sentimental Value,” Norway
Documentary Feature: “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
Casting: Cassandra Kulukundis, “One Battle After Another”
Best Sound: Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, “F1”
Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, “Sinners”
Original Screenplay: “Sinners,” Ryan Coogler
Adapted Screenplay: “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson
Live Action Short Film: (tie) “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
Animated Short Film: “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
Documentary Short Film: “All the Empty Rooms”
Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett, “Avatar Fire and Ash”
Production Design: Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, “Frankenstein”
Film Editing: Andy Jurgensen, “One Battle After Another”
Makeup and Hairstyling: Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey, “Frankenstein”
Costume Design: Kate Hawley, “Frankenstein”
As was the case last year, the Oscars ceremony ran somewhat past three hours and began with an overtly silly series of scenes that had host O’Brien in the Aunt Gladys (“Weapons”) red fright wig and white makeup being pursued by an unruly group of children through brief backdrops from the Oscar-nominated films. Once that was mercifully finished, O’Brien finally appeared on stage in the first of a series of formal outfits—probably establishing a new record for the most wardrobe changes by an Oscar host. After tossing out a few barbs to noteworthy members of the audience like Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet, the show finally got down to business as Amy Madigan received her second Supporting Actress statuette and quipped, “It’s been quite a while”—her first Oscar was 40 years earlier. Contending for the most emotionally charged acceptance speeches were Ryan Coogler’s choked-up thank-you and Jessie Buckley’s unabashed paean to the virtues of traditional motherhood.
As expected, the “In Memoriam” segment went straight to the hearts of the audience in the theater as well as to those viewing the show at home. Billy Crystal headed a tribute to the late Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, which featured brief clips from memorable Reiner films, ending with an entourage of former Reiner film cast members including John Cusack, Meg Ryan, and Demi Moore briefly taking the stage. Rachel McAdams gave teary remembrances of Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara, while Barbra “Babs” Streisand paid a musical tribute to Robert Redford by singing the title song from “The Way We Were.”
The big winner, “One Battle After Another,” came away with six Oscars and also created the most awkward moment of the evening when presenter Kieran Culkin had to walk off the stage by himself as Sean Penn was a no-show for his Best Supporting Actor award. “Sinners,” while leading the pack with 16 nominations, walked away with only three Oscars, the same number as Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” There were no other multiple award winners, but there were three historic moments. The first was an unusual tie for an Oscar, this time for Best Live Action Short Film—the last time this happened was in 2012. The second, even more noteworthy, was the first Oscar given to a woman, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, for Best Cinematography. Finally, a new Academy Award category for Casting was added this year and won by Cassandra Kulukundis for “One Battle After Another.” Although Timothée Chalamet was considered one of the favorites for his performance in “Marty Supreme,” not only did he go home empty-handed (just like last year for his portrayal of Bob Dylan), but so did his highly touted film.
Once again, host Conan O’Brien surmounted much of the silliness that came his way and, although he was “killed off” at the end, he did make a strong case for returning in 2027. With few exceptions, there were surprisingly few politically charged remarks by either the presenters or the award winners, and that should have made the viewers mindful that this show should be about the art of filmmaking and entertainment, not about world events.