The 98th Academy Awards weren’t just about the golden statues; they were a surreal collision of high-stakes politics, red-carpet chaos, and Hollywood history. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw took us inside the Dolby Theatre for a night that felt part prestige ceremony, part fever dream.
High Fashion Meets High Security
As the stars descended on Los Angeles, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Amidst rumors of retaliatory drone att*cks following a controversial presidential strike on Iran, the Dolby Theatre became a fortress. Bradshaw describes a red carpet swarmed by military personnel and LAPD officers, where even his entrance was interrupted by a sniffer dog jumping into the back of his cab. For Hollywood, 2026 is a year where war and peace coexist in the same frame.
The Chalamet Controversy: A Gaffe that Soured the Mood
Timothée Chalamet is usually the Academy’s golden boy, but this year he “broke the rules.” His facetious comments comparing cinema to niche interests like ballet and opera were seen as a rare lapse in the “rhetoric of respect” Hollywood demands. While Bradshaw suggests Chalamet may have been making a valid point about the shrinking reach of the big screen, the “badly worded” gaffe left a sour note on an otherwise pro-Chalamet night.
Ken Jeong and the “Demon Hunter” Hysteria
The loudest screams of the night weren’t for the leading men, they were for the cast of the animated hit K-Pop Demon Hunters. Bradshaw recounts a “psychological meltdown” among fans in the bleachers as comedian Ken Jeong, a master of mischief, wound up the crowd. The sheer energy of the Demon Hunter fandom proved that the bridge between global pop culture and traditional cinema is now shorter than ever.
A Night of “Eeeeuuuuwww” Moments
Brody’s Gross-Out and Culkin’s Cool The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien with a sonorous Matt Berry on announcements, had its fair share of bizarre turns.
- Adrien Brody: Grossed out the audience by spitting gum into his hand, pretending to throw it, and then swallowing it.
- Kieran Culkin: Showed off his trademark wit, shrugging off a missing Sean Penn and later correcting Bradshaw’s selfie-grip at the Governors Ball.
- The “Played Off” Panic: The K-Pop Demon Hunters team appeared genuinely devastated when the music cut their victory speeches short.
A Moving, Unresolved “In Memoriam”
The most gripping moment of the night was the tribute to the late Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. In a year that saw the loss of legends like Diane Keaton and Robert Redford, the Reiners’ segment stood out. Billy Crystal delivered a dignified, heartbreaking speech for his longtime friend. The room sat in a heavy, unresolved silence, acknowledging the tragic nature of their deaths in a way that felt raw and real.
Touching the Forbidden Gold
Bradshaw ended his night at the Governors Ball with a “grotesque and pathetic” moment of glory. He convinced the winners of the Live Action Short, Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata (Two People Exchanging Saliva), to let him hold their Oscars. While he confirmed they are indeed heavy, he noted the wary looks of other guests. According to Oscar superstition, touching a statue that isn’t yours means you’ll never win one yourself. As Bradshaw put it: “If the Academy ever brings in an Oscar for best review, I’m stuffed.”
