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Diane Warren shared her lighthearted reaction after she lost her 17th nomination in the Best Original Song category at the 2026 Oscars.
By Gabrielle Chung, Adrianne Reece Mar 16, 2026 3:50 PM | Updated 2 hours ago
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Diane Warren is finding humor in her own lore.
Shortly after the storied songwriter was not named the winner for Best Original Song at the Oscars 2026 on March 15, she turned her record-breaking 17 losses in the category into a victorious feat.
Sharing a Guardian headline that read, “Diane Warren becomes record-holder for longest Oscars losing streak with 17 nominations and no wins,” the 69-year-old wrote on Instagram, "At least I'm a record holder of something!!”
Instead, it was KPop Demon Hunters’ ubiquitous hit “Golden” that won over Diane’s track “Dear Me” from her Relentless documentary. (The Kesha-performed ballad was also up against “I Lied to You” from Sinners, “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! and the title song from Train Dreams.)
Still filled with lighthearted hope, the “Seaside” singer celebrated the accolade on Facebook that same night.
“Well at least I’m consistent! And I set a new record tonite!!” she wrote. “But U know me, I will be back if you’ll have me!!!”
Diane received her first Oscar nomination in 1987 for “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Mannequin. Many of her iconic works have received nods—yet zero wins—at the Recording Academy over the years, including Con Air’s “How Do I Live,” which lost to “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic, and Armageddon’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which was overpowered by “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt.
Though Diane didn’t end her streak at the ceremony, the Academy awarded her an honorary Oscar in 2022 for "her genius, generosity and passionate commitment to the power of song in film.
She was also nominated in the Best Original Song category for eight consecutive years—specifically, from 2017 to 2025—without winning.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
And Diane acknowledged how her streak, saying of her statuette at the time, “I’ve been waiting a long f--king time for him.”
"I've waited 34 years to say this: I'd like to thank the Academy," the lyricist continued. "I finally get to say a speech, 'cause I've had a lot of speeches that got crumpled up in my pocket."
The songwriter went on to explain how her past losses didn't feel like defeat. Instead, she considered it to be a "pretty big f--king win" each year that her music was nominated over "the hundreds of songs in movies."
"That being said," she added, "it feels good to win, to actually have one of these things."
While Diane hasn’t added a physical Oscar to her catalog, keep reading to see other celebrities who received a trophy…
Best Picture
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
WINNER: One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER: Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
Emma Stone - Bugonia
Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
WINNER: Michael B. Jordan - Sinners
Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent
Actress in a Supporting Role
Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
WINNER: Amy Madigan - Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku- Sinners
Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another
Actor in a Supporting Role
Benecio Del Toro - One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo - Sinners
WINNER: Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård - Sentimental Value
Director
Chloé Zhao - Hamnet
Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler - Sinners
Original Screenplay
Blue Moon
It Was Just An Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
WINNER: Sinners
Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
WINNER: Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Original Song
"Dear Me" from Diane Warren: Relentless
WINNER: "Golden" from KPop Deamon Hunters
"I Lied to You" from Sinners
"Sweet Dreams of Joy" from Viva Verdii
"Train Dreams" from Train Dreams
International Feature Film
The Secret Agent
It Was Just an Accident
WINNER: Sentimental Value
Sirat
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Live Action Short Film
Butcher's Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen's Period Drama
WINNER (Tie): The Singers
WINNER (Tie): Two People Exchanging Saliva
Documentary Short Film
WINNER: All the Empty Rooms
Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: "Were and Are Gone"
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Original Score
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
WINNER: Sinners
Visual Effects
WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Cinematography
Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
WINNER: Sinners
Train Dreams
Film Editing
F1
Marty Supreme
WINNER: One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Production Design
WINNER: Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Adapted Screenplay
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
WINNER: One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
Documentary Feature Film
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
WINNER: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Casting
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
WINNER: One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners
Animated Short Film
Butterfly
Forevergreen
WINNER: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Makeup & Hairstyling
WINNER: Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Animated Feature Film
Arco
Elio
WINNER: Kpop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Sound
WINNER: F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirat
Watch the Oscars 2026 Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streaming on Hulu.
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