By Jenna Zucker
March 15 (Reuters) – Here are takeaways from Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, Hollywood’s annual celebration of the best performances in the movie business.
LATE-NIGHT QUIPS
Conan O’Brien does not usually get as overtly political as other hosts. But in his opening monologue this year, he warned otherwise. To those unhappy with that, he said they could attend an alternative show hosted by Kid Rock, an American singer who during the Super Bowl in February staged a competing halftime show to Bad Bunny’s performance.
“Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is here and this is exciting: This is his first time in a theater. ‘This is what they’re talking about? Why are they together enjoying themselves?! They should be home alone!'” O’Brien joked about the home streaming platform in his opening monologue.
Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, a previous Academy Awards host, lauded the courage of documentary filmmakers, noting that in some countries, they don’t believe in free speech. He said he wasn’t at liberty to say which ones, then joked, “Let’s leave it at North Korea and CBS.”
He then poked fun at U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “Oh, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.” First lady Melania Trump’s documentary wasn’t released until 2026 so it did not qualify for the awards.
SUPREMELY SHUTOUT
“Marty Supreme” did not win any awards, including Timothee Chalamet losing best actor to Michael B. Jordan. Chalamet’s loss follows his negative comments about the ballet and opera that sparked controversy online and led to a joke by O’Brien: “Security is extremely tight tonight. I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet community.”
While many were offended by Chalamet’s comment during an interview in February, opera singer Ana Maria Martinez said on Sunday she was grateful to the actor for highlighting her craft.
“Saying what he said, he has put opera and ballet more in the pop culture lingo in the everyday conversation. And I will emphasize that opera and ballet are very strong,” Martinez told Reuters. “It might not have been intentional, but he gave us a lot with that.”
RESISTANCE TAKES CENTER STAGE
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” about a young Russian schoolteacher waging quiet resistance against Russia’s war on Ukraine, won the Oscar for best documentary feature. Director David Borenstein said in his acceptance speech that the film was about how to lose one’s country through small acts of complicity.
“When we act complicit, when a government murders people on the streets of our major cities, when we don’t say anything, when oligarchs take over media and control how we produce it,” he said. The comments followed the killing of two Americans in Minneapolis by immigration agents.
IN MEMORIAM
The loss of so many iconic names in Hollywood this year led to one of the longest segments for the long show. Director Rob Reiner was honored by actor Billy Crystal after Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead at their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 14, 2025. Reiner’s younger son, Nick Reiner, stands charged with their murders; he has pleaded not guilty.
Barbra Streisand, who played opposite Robert Redford in “The Way We Were,” called him a “brilliant, subtle actor” and an “intellectual cowboy.” She finished her remarks by singing a few lines from the movie’s title song.
FIRST NEW CATEGORY IN DECADES
The award for achievement in casting is the first new award category established since best animated feature film in 2001.
It formally recognizes the role casting directors contribute to a film’s vision and its overall success. Cassandra Kulukundis received the award for “One Battle After Another.”
MORE FIRSTS
Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and first Black cinematographer to win the cinematography honor, “Golden” gave the KPop genre its first win in the best original song category and “Sentimental Value” became the first Norwegian film to win for best international feature.
TWO FILMS, ONE OSCAR
“The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” tied to win best live action short film. There have been only six ties previously in Oscars history – the last time was in 2013 for best sound.
A ‘DEVIL WEARS PRADA’ REUNION
Anne Hathaway joined Anna Wintour on stage to present two awards in a “Devil Wears Prada” reunion ahead of the sequel due out in May. Wintour leaned into her Miranda Priestly persona, ignoring Hathaway’s question about her dress and later calling her “Emily,” the name Priestly wrongly ascribes to Hathaway in the film.
PINS OF ACTIVISM
Some guests wore pins with political messaging, including “ICE OUT,” calling out the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and others demanding an end to the wars in Iran and Gaza.
Spanish actor Javier Bardem wore one that said “NO A LA GUERRA,” which translates to “No to War” and another reading “Free Palestine.” While presenting best international film, he said, “No to war and free Palestine,” to applause from the crowd.
ONE LAST JOKE
In a rare pre-recorded clip that aired once the telecast ended, O’Brien appeared in a parody scene adapted from the Oscar-winning film for best picture, “One Battle After Another,” in which O’Brien is named by an academy official as the Oscar “host for life” and given a special corner office only to end up gassed to death – an homage to the movie demise of Colonel Lockjaw, the character played by Sean Penn.
(Reporting by Jenna Zucker, Steve Gorman, Christina Anagnostopoulos, Dawn Chmielewski, Nick Zieminski, Rollo Ross and Vanessa Balintec; Writing by Jenna Zucker; Editing by Howard Goller)
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