Kieran Culkin made a witty jab at Sean Penn during the 2026 Academy Awards after the veteran actor was not present to receive his trophy.
Penn won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in One Battle After Another, which marks his third Academy Award, as he previously won Best Actor for Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009.
When Culkin, who won the same category last year for A Real Pain, stepped on stage to announce the winner, he revealed Penn was not at the ceremony.
“Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening. Or didn’t want to,” Culkin joked. “So I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf,” he added as the audience broke into laughter.
Reports state that Penn was in Ukraine at the time. The actor has been a vocal supporter of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
Host Conan O’Brien also joked about Penn’s absence during the broadcast, telling the audience there had been a notable no-show at the ceremony.
“We had a no-show in Sean Penn. This thing’s a humdinger; you’ve got to stay tuned!” he quipped.
Penn’s relationship with the Oscars has been complicated in recent years. In 2024, while receiving a tribute at the Marrakech International Film Festival, he criticised the Academy, accusing it of showing “extraordinary cowardice” when it comes to supporting artistic expression.
In the Best Supporting Actor race, Penn beat several high-profile nominees, including Benicio del Toro, Delroy Lindo, Stellan Skarsgård, and Jacob Elordi.
One Battle After Another was one of the biggest winners of the night, also taking home Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
