Oscars chaos as two nominees TIE for award… and Timothee Chalamet is dragged in scathing acceptance speech

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The 2026 Oscars threw a curveball on Sunday evening when one of the categories came down to a tie.

Kumail Nanjiani seemed surprised when he announced a tie for the Best Live Action Short Film award.

The prize was shared by the filmmakers behind the short films Two People Exchanging Saliva and The Singers.

The comedian announced the winner: “It’s a tie! I’m serious, it really is.” He then added, trying to ease the surprise, “Okay everyone, let’s just take a moment.”

The surprising result marks just the seventh tie ever recorded in the Academy Awards’ entire history.

The most well-known tie in Oscars history happened in 1969. Katharine Hepburn won the award for her role in ‘The Lion In Winter,’ and Barbra Streisand shared the win with her for her first film, ‘Funny Girl.’ Although another tie occurred at the 2026 ceremony, the 1969 result remains the most famous.

To keep the surprise for the second winner, Nanjiani explained he’d wait to announce their name until after the first winner had a chance to say a few words.

Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt were the first to win, recognized for their work on The Singers. Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata’s directing team took the next award.

The 98th Academy Awards will honor the top movies of 2025 at a glamorous ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Conan O’Brien, age 62, will host the show again this year, marking his second time in the role after previously taking over from Jimmy Kimmel.

Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ received an unprecedented 16 Academy Award nominations, making it the most nominated film ever in the history of the awards.

The scary movie is nominated for Best Picture, along with nine other films: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, and Train Dreams.

Michael B. Jordan, known for his role in ‘Sinners,’ is up for Best Actor alongside a strong group of competitors: Timothée Chalamet (‘Marty Supreme’), Leonardo DiCaprio (‘One Battle After Another’), Ethan Hawke (‘Blue Moon’), and Wagner Moura (‘The Secret Agent’).

Set in Mississippi during the 1930s, Sinners tells the story of twin brothers – both portrayed by Jordan – who come home to find their hometown plagued by a terrifying supernatural force.

The competition for Best Actor is incredibly close right now. Timothée Chalamet was the frontrunner early on, winning both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards. However, Michael Jordan’s win at the Actor Awards—previously known as the SAG Awards—has changed the dynamic, making the race much tighter.

The event is happening shortly after Timothée Chalamet made comments that were criticized by many in the arts world. He had suggested that people aren’t interested in ballet or opera, which caused a strong negative reaction.

Josh Safdie’s film, Marty Supreme, tells the story of Marty Reisman, a gifted table tennis player in 1950s New York. Starring Timothée Chalamet, the movie follows a young prodigy whose drive to win a world championship puts a strain on his relationships.

Jessie Buckley, the Irish actress, is currently the favorite to win Best Actress for her performance in Hamnet. She’s up against strong competition from Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I would Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).

Directed by Chloe Zhao, who won Best Director in 2021, Hamnet offers a new look at William Shakespeare’s personal life. The film explores how the loss of his 11-year-old son deeply affected him and inspired the creation of his famous play, Hamlet.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another earned 13 nominations.

The film received several nominations, including Best Director, as well as acting nods for Leonardo DiCaprio (Best Actor), and Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn (both for Best Supporting Actor).

This darkly humorous action thriller centers on a former revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) who’s been living in hiding. He’s pulled back into the world when his old enemy—a corrupt military officer (Sean Penn)—targets his daughter, forcing him to come to her rescue.

Joining Penn and del Toro as nominees for Best Supporting Actor are Jacob Elordi for his work in Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo from Sinners, and Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value.

Many observers felt Paul Mescal (for his role in Hamnet), Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly), and Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) deserved to be nominated but were overlooked.

Frankenstein and Sentimental Value both earned nine nominations at this year’s ceremony. 

Guillermo del Toro’s take on Frankenstein beautifully retells Mary Shelley’s story, centering on the deeply emotional journey of a creature longing for acceptance and the painful rejection he faces from his creator.

Joachim Trier’s film, Sentimental Value, centers on two sisters who must come to terms with their long-lost, filmmaker father.

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Elle Fanning for her work in ‘Sentimental Value’, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas also for ‘Sentimental Value’, Amy Madigan from ‘Weapons’, Wunmi Mosaku in ‘Sinners’, and Teyana Taylor for ‘One Battle After Another’.

Fans were very upset when Ariana Grande wasn’t nominated for a supporting role in the movie Wicked.

She had been nominated last year for her work in the first film of the musical franchise.

I honestly can’t believe it! Wicked – the movie, I mean – didn’t get any nominations? Seriously?! Cynthia Erivo was absolutely breathtaking as Elphaba, and those new songs? ‘No Place Like Home’ and ‘The Girl In The Bubble’ were instant classics! It’s just… baffling. I thought for sure they’d recognize how amazing everything was, especially Cynthia’s performance. I’m completely gutted!

Gwyneth Paltrow was also left off the list in the category for her work in Marty Supreme. 

A new award recognizing outstanding casting was announced this year. The first nominees are Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent, and Francine Maisler for Sinners.

The show starts at 7pm Eastern Time / 4pm Pacific Time and will be broadcast live on ABC. You can also watch it live on Hulu, or through streaming services like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV.

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2026-03-16 03:50