The 2026 Academy Awards delivered a night full of major wins, surprises, and viral moments that kept audiences talking long after the show ended. One of the biggest highlights was the Best Picture Award, where “Sinners” pulled off a surprising victory over “Marty Supreme.” Many critics had predicted “Marty Supreme” would win, so the result sparked immediate debate across social media and entertainment news.
“I genuinely thought Timothée Chalamet had the win. After watching both movies, I would’ve bet ‘Marty Supreme’ would take it home,” said junior Owen Surrat after watching the show. “I’m certainly not mad about it, though.”
Michael B Jordan left a heavy impact after winning Best Actor.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me. Sidney Portier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith, to be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you,” said Jordan.
Emma Stone earned Best Actress and spoke about personal growth and the challenges of staying confident in a competitive industry. Both had speeches that were praised for their honesty and emotional impact.
Cash Sattleburger, a junior, wanted to shine the light on the lesser spoken about segments from the award show.
“People don’t talk enough about Autumn Arkapaw becoming the first woman to win Best Cinematography for her work on ‘Sinners.’ Also, Jessie Buckley secured her first Oscar for ‘Hamnet.’ This is big history, it should be spoken about more often,” said Sattleburger
Another widely discussed moment involved Leonardo DiCaprio not taking home an award. He was nominated once again for “One Battle After Another,” which secured six Oscars. His continued losses, despite strong performances, have people expressing both disappointment and humor online, and have sparked several new memes after cameras captured his uncomfortable expressions throughout the night.
The show concluded with a strange post-credits sketch where host Conan O’Brien referenced “One Battle After Another,” which even included an appearance from MrBeast. It was certainly a strange ending after the beautiful performances from Barbra Streisand singing “The Way We Were,” as well as Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq’s rendition of the nominated song “I Lied to You” from “Sinners.”
