Kieran Culkin's Unscripted Jab About Sean Penn's No-Show Dominates Oscar Winners 2026 Conversation

Sean Penn has added a third Oscar to his list of achievements. He has won an award in the Best Supporting Actor Category for his role in One Battle After Another at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026 (ET). Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another featured Sean as the corrupt military officer, Col. Steven J. Lockjaw.

While Sean was absent from the event, Kieran Culkin, who also announced the win, accepted the award on behalf of the actor. However, Kieran’s unscripted joke regarding Penn’s absence also grabbed a lot of attention on social media. Keep reading to know more!

Kieran Culkin seemingly pokes fun at Sean Penn on stage

The 98th Academy Awards witnessed the presence of many popular faces from the entertainment industry. However, a few stars could not attend the event for certain reasons, and Sean Penn was one of them. As mentioned, Penn won in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Kieran Culkin was the one who announced the winner of the mentioned category, and while Penn was absent from the event, Kieran was heard saying:

“Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening…or didn’t want to…so I’ll be accepting this award on his behalf.”

Although Sean Penn has not reacted to his latest win, Kieran Culkin won an award in the same category for his role in A Real Pain in 2025. Notably, this marks Sean’s third win at the Academy Awards after 2004 and 2009 for his performances in Mystic River and Milk. He has been previously nominated at the Oscars for his work in Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown, and I Am Sam.

Alleged reasons behind Sean Penn’s absence at the Academy Awards

The entire crew and lead cast members involved with One Battle After Another celebrated as soon as Sean Penn was announced as the winner in the Best Supporting Actor category. On the other hand, Penn’s absence at the event also raised a lot of questions at the same time. Sean’s representatives have not commented on the same until now. However, Sean is not in the United States, as stated by PEOPLE.

According to the New York Times, Sean Penn has reportedly left for Europe. Furthermore, a few people allegedly claimed that the actor had planned to visit Ukraine last week. However, those individuals were not allowed to reveal more details about Sean’s plans to anyone. For the unversed, Sean managed to defeat other well-known actors in the same category for the award, including Jacob Elordi, Stellan Skarsgard, Benicio Del Toro, and Delroy Lindo. Benicio was also a part of One Battle After Another, where he was seen as Sergio St. Carlos.

One Battle After Another has won a few more awards at the 98th Academy Awards

One Battle After Another has created a record at the 98th Academy Awards with a total of 13 nominations, after Sinners, which was nominated for 16 awards. While Sean Penn has won in the category of Best Supporting Actor, director Paul Thomas Anderson emerged as the winner in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Furthermore, the black comedy action-thriller won an Academy Award for Best Casting at the same time. One Battle After Another featured many others playing the lead, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Wood Harris, and more.

What are your thoughts about Sean Penn’s win at the 98th Academy Awards and Kieran Culkin’s unscripted joke about him? Let us know.

Also Read: Oscars 2026, Nick Jonas Adds 'Desi' Touch By Tying Kalava On His Wrist To Support Priyanka Chopra

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