1 hour ago
5
Oscars 2026 Best Dressed Celebrities: Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña & More
As expected, "Golden" from Kpop Demon Hunters won Best Original Song at the 2026 Oscars.
Far more shocking: Not everyone who shared in the track's historic win—as the first-ever K-pop song to receive this honor—got to be heard during their moment in the spotlight.
An emotional Ejae took the lead when she and five of her fellow songwriters took the stage. (Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park all shared in the honor).
"Thank you so much to the Acacdemy for this insane award," the artist, who also provides the singing voice of demon hunter Rumi in the smash-hit Netflix film, said to kick off the group's acceptance speech, blinking back tears. "Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now, everyone's singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I'm so proud."
"And I realize the song, this award, is not about success, it's about resilience," she continued. "And I'm just so grateful to our team. And I just want to thank my mom, my dad, my brother, my fiance, my manager, of course for always staying with me."
She also thanked "the resilient cast of Kpop Demon Hunters," among others, including Netflix and Sony Animation.
But when she looked around her to see if there was anyone she missed, one of her cowriters approached the microphone with a piece of paper in hand.
"I would like to thank," he began, before the orchestra started up, putting an end to the "Golden" team's time onstage.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Sonnenblick tried to draw attention to the fact that a member of the team was still speaking, jumping up and down and seemingly saying, "come on," but they were ushered off, off, off as the ABC broadcast went to commercial break. As Sonnenblick continued to try to speak, he let it be known the moment had been tarnished, at least a bit.
And to be sure, the internet had thoughts, with one X user commenting, per unilad, "Omg this is so rude!! They just made history give them 5 extra seconds," while another wrote, "STOP CUTTING WINNERS SPEECHES WHEN WE HAVE TO SIT THROUGH LONG A** UNFUNNY BITS."
When Kpop Demon Hunters was named Best Animated Feature earlier in the evening, co-writer and director Maggie Kang said, "For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. That means the next generations don’t have to go longing.
Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami also brought the house down March 15 at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre when they sng "Golden" live, the only song other than "I Lied to You" from Sinners to be performed during the broadcast.
See who else will always be a 2026 Oscar winner, no matter what:
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.
English (US) ·