Trending Now - Historic Oscars Tie: Two Films Share Best Live-action Short Award
WHO:
Conan O'Brien, host of the 2026 Oscars
Ryan Coogler, director of "Sinners"
Michael B. Jordan, star of "Sinners"
Timothee Chalamet, nominee for "Marty Supreme"
Jessie Buckley, frontrunner for Best Actress for "Hamnet"
Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, directors of "Two People Exchanging Saliva"
Sam Davis and Jack Piatt, directors of "The Singers"
Kumail Nanjiani, actor and comedian
Sam Davis, director of "The Singers"
Natalie Musteata, director of "Two People Exchanging Saliva"
WHAT:
The 2026 Oscars featured a new award for Best Casting, with nominees including Nina Gold for "Hamnet" and Jennifer Venditti for "Marty Supreme."
"Sinners" received a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most for any film in Academy Awards history.
The Best Actor category includes nominees Michael B. Jordan, Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, and Wagner Moura.
The Best Actress category includes nominees Jessie Buckley, Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Renate Reinsve, and Emma Stone.
O'Brien joked, "You just ruined 22 million Oscar pools," referring to the tie announcement.
The 2026 Oscars featured a tie for Best Live-Action Short Film, marking the seventh occurrence of such an event in the Academy's history.
The winning films were "The Singers," a musical comedy, and "Two People Exchanging Saliva," a French-language short drama.
Nanjiani announced the tie, stating, "And the Oscar goes to ... it's a tie. I'm not joking. It's actually a tie."
Sam Davis expressed gratitude, saying, "A tie, wow. I didn't know that was a thing, a tie, but we're happy to be up here."
Natalie Musteata thanked the Academy, stating, "We love all of our fellow nominees, and we're so, so grateful to everyone who has supported our film."
WHEN:
The 98th Academy Awards took place on March 15th, 2026.
The 2026 Oscars took place on March 15th, 2026.
The first tie in Oscar history occurred at the 5th annual Academy Awards in 1933.
WHY:
The tie in the Best Live-Action Short Film category was described as a historical moment that has only happened a handful of times in Oscar history.
The tie occurred due to an exact tie in votes, a situation that has only happened six other times in Oscar history.
HOW:
Nanjiani announced the winners one at a time to preserve the surprise for the second group of winners.
The Academy's rules state that only an exact tie in votes qualifies for two awards, a change from previous rules that allowed ties based on a close vote margin.
(UPDATED March 16, 2026 05:36 UTC)
The 98th Academy Awards took place last Sunday, showcasing a historic tie in the Best Live-Action Short Film category, a rare occurrence in Oscar history. Conan O'Brien hosted the event, where "Sinners" made headlines with a record-breaking 16 nominations, while the new Best Casting award featured nominees like Nina Gold and Jennifer Venditti. In the Best Actor category, Michael B. Jordan and Timothee Chalamet were among the nominees, and O'Brien humorously remarked, "You just ruined 22 million Oscar pools," following the tie announcement.
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(UPDATED March 16, 2026 03:54 UTC)
At the 2026 Oscars held last Sunday, a rare tie for Best Live-Action Short Film was announced, marking only the seventh time in the Academy's history that this has occurred. Actor Kumail Nanjiani revealed the tie, stating, "And the Oscar goes to ... it's a tie. I'm not joking. It's actually a tie," with the winning films being Sam Davis's musical comedy "The Singers" and Natalie Musteata's French-language drama "Two People Exchanging Saliva." Both directors expressed their gratitude, with Davis marveling at the tie and Musteata thanking the Academy and their fellow nominees for their support.