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The Academy Awards will kick off at 7 P.M. EST and 4 P.M. PST, which means the stars in Los Angeles will begin their celebrations in the late afternoon.
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This year, the Oscars will be broadcast on ABC, so make sure to catch the event as it gets underway. ABC will also feature a red-carpet special hosted by Lara Spencer, Whit Johnson, and Linsey Davis, among others. Leading up to the big night, the network will provide coverage throughout the week, as detailed on the official website.
What time do the Oscars start?
For those with Hulu, the ceremony will be available for streaming through ABC’s service. If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you can also watch the event live via their platform.
Unfortunately, attending the Oscars isn’t as simple as snagging a ticket. You need to be a nominee, work in the industry, or perhaps have connections like being friends with Jack Nicholson or Leonardo DiCaprio. While you could apply to be a seat filler, it’s likely too late as those spots are typically filled well in advance.
What channel are the Oscars on?
Conan O’Brien, known for his comedic flair and previous late-night hosting, is set to emcee the 2026 Academy Awards. This follows his well-received debut at the 2025 ceremony, where he charmed audiences with a humorous musical number about not “wasting time,” complete with backup dancers. In a conversation with The New Yorker editor-in-chief David Remnick, O’Brien hinted at welcoming some unpredictability, humorously requesting not to be “slapped” but expressing a desire for something out of the ordinary.
How to stream the Oscars without cable
If you’re a Hulu subscriber, the ceremony will stream on ABC’s service. YouTube TV subscribers can also watch the ceremony through that service’s live TV function.
Can you attend the 2026 Academy Awards?
No — you have to be a nominee, in the industry, or maybe friends with Jack Nicholson or Leonardo DiCaprio. You can work as a seat filler, but with just a few days to go until the ceremony, those seats are already filled.
Who is hosting the Oscars?
Comedian, former late-night host, and current podcast guy Conan O’Brien is set to host the 2026 Academy Awards, which is great news for people who loved his hosting debut during the 2025 ceremony. (He accepted the second gig shortly after getting rave reviews for his hosting duties, including a very funny ditty about not “wasting time” that included a cadre of backup dancers.) O’Brien has remained tight-lipped about specifics, but in an interview with The New Yorker editor-in-chief David Remnick, he did say he might welcome some chaos, joking that he doesn’t want anyone to “slap him” (like Will Smith did to Chris Rock in 2022) but would like something different.
“I’d like a streaker,” O’Brien said, referencing Robert Opel’s nude run through the 1974 ceremony. “And you know what I’d really like? A streaker to slap me. That would just satisfy so many of my dormant Catholic hangups.” Still, O’Brien did say, jokes aside, that he can roll with any punches. “But it’s a weird duality here. It’s a weird thing,” he admitted. “I like to plan, and I like to prepare. And then I love it when something goes off the rails.” We’ll have to see if anything wild and unplanned happens during O’Brien’s second hosting gig.
Who is performing and presenting at the Oscars?
Two nominees for best original song will be performed at the 2026 Oscars: “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” and “I Lied to You” from “Sinners.” EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who voice the fictional girl group HUNTR/X in the hit animated Netflix movie (which is also nominated for best animated feature), will perform the Billboard smash. “Sinners” star Miles Caton will play and perform the showstopper “I Lied To You” alongside blues legend Buddy Guy (who plays an older version of Caton’s character in the film), Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard, and Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey, and Alice Smith.
As for the presenters, you can expect last year’s quartet of acting winners Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Kieran Culkin, and Zoe Saldaña — who won best actor, best actress, supporting actor, and supporting actress, respectively — to give out the big four awards of the night. (Traditionally, they swap genders; Brody will present best actress, Madison best actor, Culkin supporting actress, and Saldaña supporting actor.) Other presenters include Will Arnett, Javier Bardem, Anne Hathaway, Chase Infiniti, Kumail Nanjiani, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Maya Rudolph, to name a few.
Is anything new happening at the 2026 Oscars?
Yes, actually — there’s a brand new category at the 2026 Oscars! For the first time in Academy history, casting directors will be honored for their work. The nominees include Gabriel Domingues for “The Secret Agent,” Nina Gold for “Hamnet,” Cassandra Kulukundis for “One Battle After Another,” Francine Maisler for “Sinners,” and Jennifer Venditti for “Marty Supreme.”
In an interview with IndieWire, showrunner and executive producer Raj Kapoor and his fellow executive producer Katy Mullan said that they’re bringing back what they call the “Fab Five format” to present best casting, meaning that five people will discuss each nominee’s outstanding work. (This will only be used for the new casting Oscar.) “We really wanted to have the narrative of how important casting directors are to the film community, and so we are going to have five individual stories, all with different viewpoints,” Kapoor revealed.
The two also promised some potential surprises. “There’s going to be some really brilliant cameos. There’s going to be some stars that you might not want to expect that probably wouldn’t come in unless it was Conan,” Mullan told the outlet. “There are surprises that are still coming into us every day where we’re like, ‘Oh my God, that idea maybe trumps another one’ because it’s just so great.”
Here are some key 2026 Oscar nominees
When it comes to the biggest races of the night, here are the key nominees to watch. We’ll update this list and identify the winners as the ceremony airs.
Best Picture
- “Bugonia”
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “The Secret Agent”
- “Sentimental Value”
- “Sinners”
- “Train Dreams”
Best Director
- Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
- Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
- Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
- Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
- Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”
Best Actor
- Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
- Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
- Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
- Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
- Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”
Best Actress
- 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”
Best Supporting Actor
- Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
- Delroy Lindo, “Sinners”
- Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
- Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”
Best Supporting Actress
- Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
- Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
- Wumni Mosaku, “Sinners”
- Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”
Where are the Oscars held?
Ever since the Dolby Theatre opened in Los Angeles on the city’s famous Hollywood Boulevard in 2001, it’s been the default venue for the Academy Awards. This year is no exception, and the stars will flock to the Dolby once again.
Once again, the 2026 Oscars will air on ABC and Hulu at 7 P.M. EST on Sunday, March 15.