The 98th Academy Awards delivered a mix of historic milestones, emotional speeches and industry-defining wins Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where host Conan O’Brien presided over a ceremony that balanced irreverent humor, a memorable In Memoriam tribute and often long-awaited career recognition.
One Battle After Another, the ambitious political satire from Paul Thomas Anderson, emerged as the evening’s top winner with six Oscars including Best Picture along with Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for PTA.
Yet the night also belonged to Sinners, the genre-blending drama from Ryan Coogler that had entered the night with a record 16 nominations. The film delivered some of the most crowd-pleasing victories of the evening, most notably when Michael B. Jordan claimed Best Actor for his intense turn in the film as twins Smoke and Stack. The win marked the first Oscar for Jordan, who has long been considered one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men but had yet to be recognized by the Academy.
Another major historic moment arrived when Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to receive the Oscar for cinematography. During her acceptance speech, she had all the women in the audience stand up. The victory was widely celebrated not only in the Dolby Theatre but on social media, as the cinematography category has long been one of the Academy’s most male-dominated fields.
Another one for the history books came when Anderson finally took home his first Oscar for directing. After decades of critical acclaim and multiple nominations for films including There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Phantom Thread, the filmmaker’s victory for One Battle After Another drew one of the night’s loudest ovations. The film also scored Anderson a trophy for Best Adapted Screenplay, cementing its place as the Academy’s choice for the year’s most ambitious and politically resonant work.
In the Best Actress race, Jessie Buckley completed a dominant awards-season sweep with her win for Hamnet, delivering an emotional speech that referenced motherhood and dedicated the award to her infant daughter. Her performance playing a grieving mother in the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel had already secured victories at the BAFTAs, SAG Awards and Golden Globes, making her Oscar triumph the final step in one of the most decisive campaigns in recent memory.
The supporting categories offered some of the evening’s most surprising and heartfelt moments. Veteran actress Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her scene-stealing performance in the horror film Weapons, nearly four decades after her previous nomination. The 75-year-old actor drew laughter and applause with a playful speech that included a wicked cackle referencing her character before thanking her husband, fellow actor Ed Harris.
Best Supporting Actor went to Sean Penn for One Battle After Another, marking the third Oscar of his career after previous wins for Mystic River and Milk. In a twist that became one of the night’s most talked-about moments, Penn was reportedly headed to Ukraine and did not attend the ceremony, leaving presenter Kieran Culkin to accept the award on his behalf.
The show also introduced the Academy’s newest competitive category, Best Casting—the first new Oscar category in more than two decades—further highlighting the evolving recognition of below the line crafts.
Throughout the night, O’Brien leaned into his reputation for sly humor. His monologue Playful digs at Timothée Chalamet for his comments dissing ballet and opera and Di Caprio for being the subject of many memes. He also said there was an alternate ceremony hosted by Kid Rock at Dave and Buster’s down the street. The host returned periodically throughout the show with short comedy bits, including one dramatizing what he would do if he won an Academy Award.
The ceremony also paused for several emotional tributes. The annual In Memoriam segment was among the evening’s most moving moments, honoring the film artists who died in the past year.
Billy Crystal spoke movingly of his close friends Rob and Michelle Reiner and then the stage revealed stars of some of his best-loved movies, including Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga.
Rachel McAdams paid tribute to Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara. Barbra Streisand gave a moving salute to Robert Redford and sang some of the theme song of “The Way We Were,” the first time she had performed live in seven years.
The montage included appearances by industry legends and beloved performers, prompting a sustained standing ovation inside the Dolby Theatre as their work flashed across the screen.
The ceremony also leaned into nostalgia with a surprise reunion of the stars of the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Ellie Kemper, who read humorous notes supposedly passed to them by audience members including acting nominees DiCaprio and Stellan Skarsgård.
Here’s the list of major winners at the 98th Academy Awards:
Best Picture — One Battle After Another
Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Best Actor — Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Best Actress — Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan (Weapons)
Best Original Screenplay — Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Best Adapted Screenplay — Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Best Cinematography — Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
Best Original Score — Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
Best Original Song — “Golden” (KPop Demon Hunters)
Best Casting — Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another)
Best International Feature — Sentimental Value
Best Documentary Feature — Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Best Animated Film — KPop Demon Hunters
