Michael B. Jordan plants a kiss on his proud mother Donna as he celebrates surprise win of top prize at the Actor Awards

Michael B. Jordan planted a kiss on his proud mother Donna's head as he celebrated his surprise win at the Actor Awards.

The Sinners star pulled off the upset of awards season as he beat Timothee Chalamet for the top acting prize at the Actor Awards 2026, formally known as the SAG Awards, on Sunday night.   

Michael, 39, was left in tears as he earned the win in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

When his name was announced, it was his mother Donna Jordan who had a shocked look on her face as she joyfully grabbed his shoulders.

During his speech, Michael recognised his mother as he said: 'Mom, thank you for driving me back and forth to New York, when we didn't have enough money to go through the Holland Tunnel.' 

And backstage after accepting his award, Michael, who brought Donna along as his plus one, planted a kiss on his mother's head as he posed for snaps with his award.  

He beat Timothee, who starred in Marty Supreme, in a field which also included: Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon, and Jesse Plemons - Bugonia.

Michael was bewildered as he looked down at his new actor trophy with his hands at his face and his mouth fully open. 

Timothee, 30, - who previously won at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards - was a good sport as he stood up and applauded Michael alongside his co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, 53.

Michael went on to thank his peers who voted for him to earn his crowning moment while admitting that he wasn't expecting this win.

Jordan said: 'I wasn't expecting that. I'm so honored and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love, and I love their work and what they contribute to our craft and just rise to has been unbelievable.

'So, thank you for welcoming me in and making me feel seen.' 

It was not just Michael's mother's reaction that had people talking, as presenter Viola Davis's jaw dropped when she opened up the envelope.

She then announced the star as the winner and shouted in celebration.

Horror flick Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, later earned the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award over Frankenstein (Netflix), Hamnet (Focus Features), Marty Supreme (A24), and One Battle After Another (Warner Bros).

Delroy Lindo spoke out on behalf of the cast just one week after he and Jordan were presenting at the BAFTAs last weekend when a guest with Tourette's Syndrome shouted a racial slur.

John Davidson, whose life story inspired the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, shouted the expletive while the black actors presented the first prize of the night at the Royal Festive Hall in London this past Sunday.

Delroy later hit out at BAFTA for failing to address the incident with him following the ceremony, saying he wished 'someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward.'

Sinners is centered around two brothers who return to their hometown to start again only to discover that an even greater evil - in the form of vampires - is waiting to welcome them back. 

Jordan portrayed both brothers in the film: older and more serious twin Elijah 'Smoke' Moore in addition to younger and more cheerful sibling Elias 'Stack' Moore.

Elsewhere Jessie Buckley, 36, triumphed over the likes of Kate Hudson and Emma Stone to earn the award for Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Role for her work in Hamnet.

The star-studded field included Kate for Song Sung Blue and Emma for Bugonia along with Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) and Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another).

Hamnet takes place after Agnes and William Shakespeare (Jessie and Paul Mescal) lose their son Hamnet to the plague and grapple with grief in 16th-century England, based on the novel of the same name. 

Meanwhile, on the television side, Catherine O'Hara earned a posthumous honor just one month after her tragic death. 

The Canadian-American actress passed away at 71 on January 30 from a blood clot in her lungs.

Catherine earned Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Series for her work in The Studio.

She beat out Kathryn Hahn for The Studio, Jenna Ortega for Wednesday, Jean Smart for Hacks, and Kristen Wiig for Palm Royale.

When her name was announced, those nominated in Catherine's category looked emotional, including her co-star Kathryn and Wednesday actress Jenna, who was seen wiping a tear from her face.

Catherine's co-star Seth Rogen accepted the honor on her behalf as he shared a cute story about how the late actress would email him with script edits the morning of filming a scene.

He said: 'I, obviously, have been reflecting on the time I was fortunate enough to spend with her, working with her, and something that I've just been marveling at over the last few weeks was really her ability to be generous and kind, while never ever minimizing her own ability to contribute to the work that we were doing. 

'She knew she could destroy, and she wanted to destroy every day on set.'