The awards season leading up to the Oscar 2026 was marked by a series of episodes that placed artists — and even nominees — in, let’s say, delicate situations.
From there, Brazilian animals and voters, (15) there were more than the usual moments of tension.
A CNN listed the episodes that most moved — and complicated — the 2026 Oscar race. Follow:
The actor who declared war on the tutu
Timothée Chalametnominated for Best Actor for “”, found himself at the center of a controversy of his own. At an event organized by Variety magazine, alongside the actor, stated that ballet and opera are arts in decline.
“I admire people who go on a talk show and say, ‘We need to keep theaters alive. We need to keep this genre alive.’ I’ve done it myself”, began the “Marty Supreme” star. “But another part of me thinks: if people want to see it, like ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer,’ they’ll go to the cinema and make a point of showing it.”
Then came the comments about ballet and opera. “And I don’t want to work in ballet or opera or things where the message is, ‘Keep it alive,’ even if, like, no one cares about it anymore,” he said, drawing laughter from McConaughey and the audience.
— even more so given the revelation that the actor’s mother is a former ballerina. The attempt to alleviate the situation, declaring that he had “all respect for professionals in the field”, was not enough to contain the criticism.
More controversies in the supreme world
Still in “Marty Supreme”, the controversies were not limited to the protagonist. The director Josh Safdie was the target of reports that indicated he was aware of the presence of a minor — 17 years old — in a sexual scene during the filming of “Bom Comportamento”, starring Robert Pattinsonem 2017.
The allegations, which came to light this season, would be the trigger for professional distancing between him and his brother Benny (“Fighter’s Heart: The Smashing Machine”).
From the cast, she drew attention when she revealed that she asked the film’s intimacy coordinator to step back during the scenes recorded with Chalamet — according to her, the professional’s presence prevented her from working freely.
To close the cycle of turmoil in the film, the actress was persecuted by anti-Semites on social media, who accused her of being a Zionist — something she denied.
Greece to the director: no thanks
“”, from Greek Yorgos Lanthimosalso accumulated controversies before it even hit the screens.
The Greek government denied the director permission to film at the , considering the planned scenes — which included dozens of bodies scattered around the monument — incompatible with “the symbolism and values that the Acropolis represents.”
In the publicity campaign, in reference to .
Not every car reaches the podium
Already “”, by Joseph Kosinski, surprised to reach the list of nominees — and the surprise was accompanied by skepticism.
Many critics questioned the verisimilitude of the script, which places Brad Pitt61 years old at the time of launch, as a competitive driver in the highest category of motorsport.
The film was also criticized for having cut from the final version (“”), of Indian origin, which raised questions about representation in big-budget productions.
Miau
Jessie Buckley It didn’t take a scandal to make the season’s list of controversies — two cats and a podcast were enough. The Irish woman, , had said months earlier, in a joking tone, that at the beginning of their relationship she gave her husband an ultimatum: either him or the felines.
“Cats are evil,” he summed up. The audio, however, resurfaced on the eve of the end of voting and set the internet of animal lovers on fire. The answer came on Jimmy Fallon’s show: Buckley declared herself “in love with cats.” The audience listened. Not everyone believed it.
Not even the favorite escapes
No film reaches the top without accumulating enemies along the way. “”, by Paul Thomas Anderson, has 14 Oscar nominations — and a considerable list of enemies.
For part of the American public, the film is, in practice, a manifesto against Trump’s immigration policy: the similarity between the villain of Sean Penn and a real US Border Patrol agent did not go unnoticed. The writer Bret Easton Ellis was more direct: according to him, the film’s reputation as a masterpiece exists only because the film “aligns itself with a left-wing sensibility”.
On the other side of the spectrum, progressive critics have pointed out problems with , suggesting that the script reduces her to an object of desire. The actress did not accept the reading — and responded that the film only shows what black women face in reality: being “fetishized, especially by disturbing men.”
A Spanish director, a comment about Brazilians and a shoe emoji
Oliver Laxeindicated by “”, , shot that “” — an attempt at humor that didn’t work.
After the speeches, Brazilians invaded “Sirât’s” social networks with comments mocking the speech, and the director was forced to apologize, claiming that Brazilians “did not understand the context”.
Non-BAFTA racism
The most serious episode of the season didn’t happen on the red carpet or on social media — it happened live, no palco do BAFTA. On February 22, while Michael B. Jordan e Delroy Lindofrom the cast of “Sinners”, were preparing to present an award, John Davidson, defender of Tourette’s syndrome and inspiration for the film “I Swear”, .
The episode repeated itself minutes later, when Wunmi Mosaku took the stage to receive the award for Best Supporting Actress.
The ceremony was being broadcast two hours late by the BBC, which chose not to edit the content. The broadcaster was heavily criticized.
CNN Brasil will provide special coverage of the 2026 Oscars
A CNN Brazil prepares special coverage of the 2026 Oscars. In addition to special articles on the website, we will hold a live broadcast from 7pm to 1am with Elisa Veeck e Mari Palma on TV and YouTube. Alongside artists and influencers, we will show everything from the red carpet to announcing the winners of the 98th edition of the award.
