The Oscars had feathered gowns, K-pop lightsticks and ballet’s revenge. Inside the strangest, funniest and most viral Oscar moments.
Sure, no envelopes were swapped at the Oscars this year, and no one’s eyes saw Oppenheimer, but the 98th Academy Awards still delivered plenty of drama. There were shocking upsets, tear-inducing tributes, and more celebrities dancing along to K-pop than anyone probably expected.
The ceremony had no shortage of memorable (and memeable) moments. Ballerinas (and Academy voters) took down Timothée Chalamet! Beloved members of the film community celebrated hard-fought first victories! Sigourney Weaver said a bad word! Everyone was feathered?
To make sense of it all, Yahoo’s tapped experts across fashion, beauty, celebrity and internet culture. Here are the Oscars, from every angle.
Feathers, feathers and more feathers
The feather trend has reached its pinnacle on the Oscars red carpet. While plumes have appeared at previous award shows, the actresses at the 98th Annual Academy Awards were finally ready to take flight.
Nicole Kidman, Teyana Taylor and Demi Moore.
Demi Moore’s Gucci look was among the boldest, Teyana Taylor’s the most sexy and suited to her style and Amy Madigan’s the most unique. But the most surprising star to step out with some fluff was Nicole Kidman. Her Chanel dress incorporated multiple trends, with feathers, crystals and even a peplum bodice. If this is a sign of the single era to come, I’m into it. Spread your wings, girl!
— Kerry Justich, senior writer
Some commotion for the men
Joe Alwyn’s floppy tie was a miss for me, but other fashion risks for the men on the red carpet paid off.
Ethan Hawke, Damson Idris and Milo Manheim.
Ethan Hawke, Milo Manheim, Law Roach and Damson Idris all sported knee-length jackets — some of which I liked more than others. Others tried out different sartorial gambits, like Paul Mescal’s collarless look and Michael B. Jordan’s Nehru-style jacket.
The winner of the Best Actor award subtly embraced another trend: brooches. Blink and you might miss the David Yurman one on the back collar of his jacket, but Pedro Pascal’s giant silk and feather brooch was hard to miss.
Miles Caton, Jeremy Pope and Timothée Chalamet,
Jeremy Pope and Shaboozey’s unique takes on their tuxedos were among my favorites. And while Timothée Chalamet tried to make a moment of his all-white look, I preferred the burgundy tones rocked by Chase Stokes and Miles Caton.
Take notes, boys.
— Kerry Justich, senior writer
The ’90s called
Beauty-wise, the Oscars red carpet was a vast and varied melange of decade and trend throwbacks. But the one that stood out for me was the ’90s, and specifically the ’90s as depicted in the FX show Love Story by the style and beauty icon Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. You could see CBK’s influence everywhere, in the slicked-back hair and low-(ish) buns, on everyone from Jessie Buckley to Ejae to Kirsten Dunst to Elle Fanning. The makeup was pared-down and minimal, with the exception, here and there, of a bright pop of red lipstick.
Kirsten Dunst, Jessie Buckley and EJAE.
Gwyneth Patrow at the Oscars in 2026 and 1999.
Even Gwyneth Paltrow donned a version, with a sleek, long, CBK-esque blonde blowout with just a hint of a wave. For the Marty Supreme actor and Goop guru, though, it was a repeat. Paltrow was among the originators of this specific beauty look when she won her own Oscar back in 1999.
— Jennifer Romolini, senior beauty editor
Paul Thomas Anderson nabs 3 Oscars nearly 3 decades after first nomination
Earlier in the night, the casting director Cassandra Kulukundis joked that she had won her first Oscar — in the newly created Best Casting category — before the director of One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson, received his first Academy Award. But it was only an hour later that PTA took home the trophy for Best Adapted Screenplay, and shortly thereafter notched wins for Best Director and the evening’s top prize, Best Picture.
It’s been a long climb to get to gold. The writer and director was nominated for the first time in 1998 for his film Boogie Nights, in the Best Original Screenplay category. He went on to earn nominations for the films Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice and Phantom Thread — all without taking home a single award. But this was finally his night.
“You make a guy work hard for one of these,” he said in accepting the award for Best Director.
Meanwhile, he dedicated his first trophy to his family: “I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them, but also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”
— Kaitlin Reilly, senior writer
Michael B. Jordan out-charms Timothée Chalamet
Until a few weeks ago, it seemed like Timothée Chalamet was a lock to win Best Actor for portraying an ambition-obsessed ping-pong player in Marty Supreme. Then his real-life antics — viral stunts, bursts of bravado and general millennial acting out — seemed to start wearing on people. He won big at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, but lost at the BAFTAs and Actor Awards. For the second year in a row, he was a strong contender, but his overconfidence seems to have put something of a dent in his appeal. To put it plainly, he got annoying.
Michael B. Jordan, winner of the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for “Sinners,” poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Michael B. Jordan, who plays the twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners, had only won the Actor Award when he came from behind to clinch the biggest victory of the season. He and Chalamet are similar in several ways — they’re both under 40, which the Academy doesn’t often tend to reward. They both have blockbusters and indie praise under their belts. But Jordan stands out as humble and beloved by all. When Viola Davis announced him as the winner at the Actor Awards, her response was so enthusiastic that it became a meme.
Jordan opened his Oscars speech by thanking his family, saying, “You all know how I feel about my mama,” and shouting out his dad, who had flown in from Ghana. You could say he is impossible to dislike.
“Keep betting on me, and I’m gonna keep stepping up,” he said with humility.
In the audience, Chalamet looked supportive, mouthing “Yay!” when Jordan’s name was announced. I’m sure the internet will still find a way to pick that apart, though.
— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter
Is the film industry destined to lose in the age of AI and corporate conglomeration?
The Oscars started off with a bang, with the program taking constant jabs at the impact of the digital age on the film industry. These were apparently inspired by the announcement that the Academy Awards will be shifting from broadcast TV to YouTube in 2029, and by the sense of existential doom that seems to be hanging over Hollywood. Several sketches took shots at YouTube ad breaks, viewers’ shortening attention spans, and how vertical videos are taking over entertainment, thanks to Instagram and TikTok. Then the show concluded with a dark vision of the future, with MrBeast installed as host. Several winners, including PTA, discussed the value of the theater, and Will Arnett spoke out in support of animation artists in his Best Animated Feature presentation.
But on closer scrutiny, these observations were undercut by a relentless marketing campaign for Disney, ABC’s parent company, and its upcoming slate for 2026. Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour presenting Best Costume Design and Makeup and Hairstyling (in support of the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada) was one thing. Bits from the Avengers: Doomsday stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans were grating and lifeless, as was the riff from The Mandalorian & Grogu stars Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver featuring a puppet Grogu and Kate Hudson. These missteps all seemed to blunt the impact of the incisive satire earlier.
It was particularly stinging that many international winners were cut off from delivering their speeches in favor of these prolonged segments. The future of cinema is genuinely scary, especially with the Academy forgoing broadcast, and this treatment of the issues didn’t inspire confidence.
— Rendy Jones, film critic at Rendy Reviews
Conan O’Brien brings whimsy (and a dash of sincerity) to his Oscars monologue
When the show’s host, Conan O’Brien, kicked off the ceremony dressed as the sinister old witch Gladys from Weapons (played by the first big winner of the night, Amy Madigan) and was pursued by kids (or short people) with little to no explanation of what was going on, I knew this Oscars ceremony would be for serious film lovers. Conan proceeded to sprint through the sets of the big movies of last year — from a ping-pong match in Marty Supreme to the play scene in Hamnet, to a brief stopover in animation land for KPop Demon Hunters. It all signaled that things were about to get whimsical as hell.
O’Brien entered the theater for his monologue still pursued by children — I cannot explain what happened there without spoiling Weapons, so just trust me, it’s funny. He poked fun at Timothée Chalamet for his flippant comments about ballet and opera, which have been generating extremely annoying discourse for far too long. “Security is extremely tight tonight,” he quipped. “I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities. They’re just mad you didn’t mention jazz.”
Also roasted? Leonardo DiCaprio, for his penchant for turning into a meme. Michael B. Jordan, who played twins in Sinners, was replicated throughout the audience as a seat filler. O’Brien concluded with surprisingly heartfelt comments about the magic of film.
“Let us celebrate not because we think all is well, but because we work and hope for the better in the days ahead,” he said.
— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter
The ballerinas exact their revenge
Shortly before Oscars voting closed — and almost two full weeks ago — a clip of Timothée Chalamet, once a frontrunner for Best Actor, declaring in an interview that “no one cares” about ballet and opera went massively, inescapably viral. “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive,’ even though no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. … I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason,” he said.
We have not been able to escape the discourse about it since.
The legendary ballerina Misty Copeland, who received a promotional jacket for Chalamet’s movie Marty Supreme, condemned his comments, and pouring salt on the wound, appeared at the Oscars to perform onstage in honor of Sinners.
Personally, I think this has more to do with Chalamet’s overexposure over the last two years, promoting A Complete Unknown, Dune and Marty Supreme, than it does with the remarks themselves.
The controversy was mentioned multiple times throughout the ceremony — once in a joke by Conan O’Brien, and later in a brief opera parody performed by Josh Groban (even though he himself said he was not offended). It meant that on possibly the biggest night of his career, the conversation around Chalamet had very little to do with his acting, and Chalamet ultimately lost his coveted Best Actor Oscar to Michael B. Jordan.
— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter
Sigourney Weaver gets protective about Baby Yoda
Before presenting the award for Best Production design along with her costar in The Mandalorian & Grogu, Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver got a little hot under the collar. As Kate Hudson cozied up to Baby Yoda — whose legal name is Grogu — in the next seat, Weaver channeled her character from Aliens.
“Get away from him, you b****,” she told Hudson, who didn’t budge as Baby Yoda flapped his ears around in excited confusion.
— Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter
The glowing orbs that brought Oscar noms together
Want to see a room full of A-listers have the time of their lives while looking a little goofy? Hand them each a glowing orb to wave around in the air while watching a live performance of KPop Demon Hunter’s hit song “Golden.”
No, it wasn’t on my bingo card either, but the moment was one I’ll be sure never to forget — no matter how much Gwyneth Paltrow would like to forget it. While Paltrow appeared less than amused by the whole thing, Emma Stone and Teyana Taylor were among the most enthused fangirls, jamming out to the performance and, more importantly, taking part in a big K-pop concert tradition.
But seriously, why is the idea of Leonardo DiCaprio being handed a light stick that he’s supposed to wave in the air so funny? And when can I see it again?
—Kerry Justich, senior writer
Timotheé Chalamet’s butt is formally immortalized by the Academy
There are two things you need to know about Marty Supreme: It’s about ping-pong, and at one point in the movie, Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank, spanks Timothée Chalamet’s real-life bare butt with a ping-pong paddle.
Chalamet’s sacrifice and commitment to method acting will now forever be memorialized in an offhand joke made at the Oscars — a flesh-colored “Timothée bum drum” that was added to the orchestra.
Chalamet’s name doesn’t have to be read from an envelope for him to be one of the most talked-about people of the night.
—Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter
Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour talk The Devil Wears Prada IRL
Taking the stage to present together, Anne Hathaway and Anna Wintour — that’s right, the inspiration for Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly character in The Devil Wears Prada — riffed a bit about the film. The sequel is in theaters May 1, and I guess Wintour, no longer the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has time for that.
Wintour dodged a question from Hathaway about whether she liked her dress, and later called her “Emily,” referring to a recurring bit in the first movie.
It would have been fun if they’d brought out those novelty purse popcorn buckets, but I really want one, so no more hype, please.
—Kelsey Weekman, senior entertainment reporter
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