Photo by Harald Krichel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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The 98th Academy Awards had something for everyone. There was history, in the form of Sean Penn’s record-tying third Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in One Battle After Another. There was humor, largely provided by Kieran Culkin’s dry acceptance of Penn’s award in the absent winner’s place. There was heart, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s first-ever Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. And there was genuine drama in Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor win for Sinners over Leonardo DiCaprio.
Penn’s three wins now tie him with Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, and Daniel Day-Lewis for the most acting wins in Academy history among men. His previous victories were for Best Actor in Mystic River and Milk — two landmarks of modern screen acting. His third win, for a supporting role, signals that Penn’s relationship with the Oscars is not yet finished.
One Battle After Another gave Penn one of his most demanding recent roles — a militaristic officer destroyed by his own certainty. Paul Thomas Anderson’s double win completed a remarkable evening for a filmmaker who has spent decades being admired without being officially recognized by the Academy. The industry’s response to his wins was one of the warmest of the evening.
Conan O’Brien hosted the ceremony with a sharp and warm approach, opening with a topical joke about artificial intelligence and celebrating the global diversity of the nominees. With participants from 31 countries on six continents, the 2026 Oscars were among the most internationally representative in the ceremony’s history. O’Brien acknowledged that with evident pride.
Jordan’s win for Sinners was one of the evening’s most celebrated results, with the actor defeating DiCaprio in one of the tightest contests of the night. The 98th Academy Awards were, taken together, one of the more historically rich ceremonies in the event’s long life.
