The prize for best actress went to second-time nominee Buckley for her role as William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in the drama directed by Chloé Zhao.

Buckley burst into a fit of laughter before beginning her speech, saying, “This is really something.”

“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” she said. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognizing me in this role.”

Buckley, who is Irish, had swept the awards circuit leading up to the ceremony, winning in her category at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Actor Awards. She is the first Irish performer to win a best actress Oscar.

A front-runner in the category, Buckley was nominated alongside first-time nominees Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value.” Two-time winner Emma Stone was also nominated for “Bugonia,” as was two-time nominee Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue.”

“Hamnet,” which is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s prizewinning historical fiction novel from 2020, dramatizes the mysterious private life of the famed playwright and poet Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway (who was also called Agnes). The plot centers on the death of the couple’s 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and the intense grief that followed.

Fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal plays William as the story imagines a connection between Hamnet’s tragic death and the birth of what many consider to be Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, “Hamlet.” (The two names were virtually interchangeable in England during the 16th century).

The film developed a reputation for leaving audiences in tears, due in large part to the potency of Buckley’s performance. She was previously nominated for the supporting actress Oscar for her turn in the 2021 film “The Lost Daughter.”

The drama received eight Oscar nominations, including for directing, adapted screenplay and best picture.

Jordan got one trophy for playing identical twins Smoke and Stack in the blues-seeped supernatural horror film set in 1930s Mississippi that earned a record 16 Academy Award nominations and won four.

Last year's winner, Adrien Brody, announced Jordan's name Sunday night, setting off a wild celebration inside the Dolby Theatre. Teyana Taylor, a supporting actress nominee for “One Battle After Another,” joined the standing ovation, mouthing, “Yes!”

Jordan was cheered loudly as he made his way through the backstage photo and interview rooms. The win is Jordan's first Oscar.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and there’s a lot of people who have seen me grow up in this industry,” he said backstage, “and they looked out for me when they didn’t have to.”

Jordan is eager to pass on that support.

“I'm really big on the next generation, so, try to be an example,” he said. “I’m not a big talker, I’m about action. I like to lead by example.”

Jordan is the sixth Black man to win the best actor trophy. He joins Will Smith (“King Richard,” 2020), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland,” 2006), Jamie Foxx (“Ray,” 2004), Denzel Washington (“Training Day,” 2001) and Sidney Poitier (“Lillies of the Field”), who was the first in 1963.

“I stand here because of the people that came before me — Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith,” he said on stage, “and to be up amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys, thank you everybody in this room and everybody at home supporting me over my career.”

Jordan added, “I know you guys wanted me to do well and I want to do that because you guys bet on me, so thank you for keep betting on me. I’m going to keep stepping up, and I’m going to keep being the best version of myself I can be.”

The other nominees were Timothée Chalamet in “Marty Supreme,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke of “Blue Moon” and Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent.”

Chalamet had been the early Oscar favorite after wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. But Jordan surprised himself by winning at the Actor Awards, giving him momentum in the final days of Oscar voting.

“Sinners” reunited Jordan and writer-producer-director Ryan Coogler. They go back to their first collaboration in 2013.

“You’re an amazing person,” Jordan told Coogler from the stage. “You gave me the opportunity and space to be seen.”

Jordan’s breakthrough film role came in Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station” for which he received critical praise playing a real-life man who was killed by police. It was Coogler’s directorial debut, and they followed with “Creed,” “Black Panther” and now “Sinners.”

Jordan’s initial acting success came in television. He had a small yet pivotal role in “The Wire” in 2002, followed by the daytime drama “All My Children,” in which he replaced Chadwick Boseman, and “Friday Night Lights.”

He and Boseman later acted together in “Black Panther” and were close friends until Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020. Jordan dedicated his acting award from this year’s NAACP Image Awards to Boseman.

Jordan, a 39-year-old who also produces and directs, was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2020.

Jordan shared Oscar night with his mother, Donna, who hugged her son upon hearing his name, and his father Michael A. Jordan, as well as his two siblings. He espoused the values that he was taught growing up in Newark, New Jersey.

“I’m just walking my path, just trying to be locked in,” he said backstage. “Dream big, man, and be kind and be honest. That’s how I try to live.”

The profession has come a long way since Arkapaw, whose varied credits include “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “The Last Showgirl” and a Rihanna music video, started exploring cinematography as a career path.

“I’m so honored to be here and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” Arkapaw told the audience.

Holding her Oscar, she said, “I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign. I feel like moments like this happen because of people like you guys.”

It wasn’t too long ago that she said she struggled to find many women in the field besides Ellen Kuras (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). Though there are more working today than there were 20 years ago, even Oscar nominations have been few and far between. Only three women before her had been nominated: Rachel Morrison (who worked with Coogler on “Fruitvale Station” and “Black Panther”) was the first for “Mudbound” in 2018, followed by Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog” and Mandy Walker for “Elvis.” Arkapaw was the first woman of color to be nominated.

Arkapaw greeted several of her “Sinners” colleagues as she made her way to the stage.

“Whenever I say thank you to Ryan, he replies and says, ‘No, thank you for believing in me and trusting me,’” she said. “He’s a very honorable person and he means it, he really truly means it.”

Arkapaw thanked her husband and parents. Her young son, Aidan, was carried down the aisle to get closer to the stage after she asked out loud where he was.

“This is an honor,” she said before departing.

She is also the first Black person to win the category. She told reporters backstage: “A lot of little girls that look like me will sleep really well tonight.”

“Sinners” is project that was already historic for women in cinematography. Before it, no woman had ever shot a movie on IMAX film before.

“I heard a phrase that said you need to see you to be you,” she told The Associated Press last year. “I think for us females in business, the more women are able to shoot on large format, it will inspire the younger girls who maybe don’t think that they can get there.”

A native of Northern California, she studied art history at Loyola Marymount University before attending graduate school at the American Film Institute where she used a background in photography to pursue cinematography.

Arkapaw had shot “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on IMAX digital, but film presented its own set of challenges. The cameras are big and loud and have a reputation for being limiting. Before beginning, she consulted with “Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who told her not to worry about the size or weight of the equipment and to shoot the movie as she would with any other kind of camera.

“Hearing that straight off was inspiring and encouraging and we took that advice and just told our story,” Arkapaw said. “It was very freeing.”

In the end, they decided to employ a combination of IMAX film and Ultra Panavision 70, an even rarer format that Quentin Tarantino resurrected for “The Hateful Eight.”

One of Arkapaw’s favorite scenes in “Sinners” was one they weren’t even initially going to do on IMAX film because it was dialogue heavy and the cameras are notoriously noisy. But if her work on “Wakanda” taught her anything about Coogler, it’s that he’s always looking to push boundaries.

The scene is the introduction to Jack O’Connell’s Irish vampire Remmick and the Choctaw trying to hunt him down, which they shot like a Western as the sun sets in the distance.

“We had a lot of beautiful crane work in that and some intimate stuff. Ryan loves a hallway, so there’s a Steadicam shot inside. It’s very eerie,” she said. “I can’t see that scene in any other format now.”

It is a first-time win and nomination for all seven members behind the hit. It is also the first K-pop song to win in the category.

“KPop Demon Hunters” is an animated, musical film about a fictional K-pop girl group tasked with saving the world by defeating demons. Netflix has said it is the platform’s most watched film of all time and has amassed hundreds of millions of hours viewed worldwide. It also produced the highest charting soundtrack of 2025 with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Thank you so much to the Academy,” EJAE started her speech, holding back tears. “This award is not about success, it's about resilience.”

“Golden” beat Diane Warren for “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless,” Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson for “I Lied to You” from “Sinners,” Nicholas Pike for “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!” and Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner for “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams.”

When nominations were announced in January, EJAE told The Associated Press that she was totally shocked by the recognition. “It just doesn’t feel real even right now. I’m just still trying to digest the situation. It’s just definitely a dream come true. And that’s why, you know, we write — to have a song that everyone can sing, and not just sing, but make them feel good, because the lyrics (are) very uplifting, and challenge them to sing those high notes,” she said. “For me, also, it’s the fact that there are Korean lyrics in it. It is just kind of really crazy to see everyone from all different countries and races singing it. So, I’m just forever grateful to be a part of this incredible film that I wish I grew up watching, too.”

‘Sinners’ wins best score

Three-time Academy Award winner Göransson won the Oscar for original score for “Sinners,” winning his third Academy Award.

Göransson beat Jerskin Fendrix (“Bugonia”), Max Richter (“Hamnet”), Jonny Greenwood (“One Battle After Another”) and Alexandre Desplat (“Frankenstein”).

Göransson previously won original score Oscars for 2018’s “Black Panther” and 2023’s “Oppenheimer.”

“My dad bought his first blues album in Sweden, 1964,” Göransson said, crediting his dad’s love of music for his own. He “devoted his whole life to music,” the composer said. Eventually his father gave him a guitar and opened up his world.

“I love the guitar,” he continued. “It was the guitar that eventually led me to one of the greatest storytellers of our time, Ryan Coogler.”

“Sinners” is filmmaker Coogler’s bluesy, vampire, gangster musical about the tenuousness of life in the Jim Crow South. But it’s also a story of two brothers coming home to Mississippi in 1932 to launch a juke joint after spending time on the German front in World War I and then learning from Al Capone in gangland Chicago, as The Associated Press’ Jocelyn Noveck writes in her review. It’s a also story about love, and one about music, especially the transporting power of the blues. “Sinners” entered the night with a record-setting 16 nominations.

When the nominations were announced in January, Göransson told AP that he was grateful for the recognition for this project in particular.

“We woke up to a bunch of amazing, beautiful texts and calls. And it’s very much like a family affair, this film. Everyone on “Sinners,” we’ve been working together for a long time and we’re kind of like a family,” he said. “What’s cool about this film, and what’s incredible about this movie, is that it’s about blues music. It’s about a guitar player. ... Anything we’re hearing today on the radio and from Western culture, you know, wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for blues. Ryan (Coogler) was able to show that in the movie and through the movie.”

On Sunday, Penn won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s political drama “One Battle After Another.” He delivered a commanding portrayal of a seasoned power broker navigating the shifting loyalties and ideological battles at the center of the film.

Penn, 65, did not attend the Oscars.

“He couldn’t be here tonight, or he didn’t want to,” Kieran Culkin said after announcing Penn as the winner.

It's not the first time Penn has been an Oscars no-show. He's previously skipped the show three times when he was nominated for “Dead Man Walking” in 1996, “Sweet and Lowdown” in 2000 and “I Am Sam” in 2002.

In 2022, Penn gave one of the Oscar statuettes to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Penn bowed out from attending the BAFTAs and Actor Awards this year.

In the movie, Penn plays a calculating strategist named Col. Steven J. Lockjaw whose decades of experience in political movements give him both influence and scars. His character carries the weight of past victories and failures, offering sharp insights while quietly pulling strings behind the scenes. The performance blends Penn’s trademark intensity with moments of restraint, delivering a standout performance among the film’s talented ensemble.

The win marks Penn’s third Academy Award.

The actor did attend when he previously won two Academy Awards for best actor for Clint Eastwood’s 2003 crime drama “Mystic River” and for portraying San Francisco politician and LGBTQ rights pioneer Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic “Milk.”

Penn first gained attention in the 1980s, with films including “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” but quickly established himself as one of Hollywood’s most fearless dramatic actors. Over the decades he has delivered acclaimed performances in films such as “Dead Man Walking,” “Carlito’s Way,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “I Am Sam.”

His performance in “One Battle After Another” adds another acclaimed role to a career defined by intense and transformative performances.

Other nominees included cast member Delroy Lindo, Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Elordi and Stellan Skarsgård.

Crystal opened the segment that was longer than usual because of the number of Hollywood heavyweights who died over the last year.

Crystal first met Reiner in 1975 when he guested on “All in the Family.”

“And it went so well, Rob said, ‘It was so much fun playing your best friend, why don’t we keep it going?’" Crystal said. "And it was a thrill seeing him evolve from a great comic actor to a master storyteller.”

Crystal recounted such Reiner films as “The Princess Bride, ”When Harry Met Sally, “A Few Good Men,” “Say Anything,” and “This is Spinal Tap.” The segment ended with over a dozen stars from those films — including Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Fred Savage, Demi Moore, John Cusack and Ione Skye — standing together on stage.

Reiner, an actor-director, and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, both in their 70s, were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home in last December. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged in the deaths of his parents and has pleaded not guilty.

At 83, Streisand has largely retired from touring and live performances due to her well-known stage fright.

For Redford's memory, she made an exception.

“He was a brilliant, subtle actor,” she said. “We had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never knew what the other was going to do or say.”

Streisand described Redford as “thoughtful and bold,” saying, "I called him an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail.”

She highlighted his history of defending press freedom, protecting the environment and encouraging new voices in film through his founding of the Sundance Institute in Utah.

“Bob had real backbone on and off the screen,” she said.

Redford died in September at age 89. He won a best director Oscar for “Ordinary People.” He and Streisand made one movie together, “The Way We Were,” in 1973.

“I miss him now more than ever, even though he loved teasing me,” she said. “He called me Babs. I’d say, ‘Bob, do I look like a Babs?’”

They were chatting on the phone and as they prepared to hang up, Redford told her, “Babs, I love you dearly, and I always will,” she said.

Streisand said, “The last note I ever wrote to Bob, I ended it with I love you, too. I signed it, Babs.”

The Oscar orchestra swelled as a photo of Redford filled the giant screen.

Standing behind a podium, with her own conductor in the aisle, Streisand picked up a mic and sang, “So it's the laughter we will remember whenever we remember the way we were.” She received a standing ovation.

Lyricist Alan Bergman, who co-wrote “The Way We Were” theme and died last year, was shown in the segment.

Among others included were Robert Duvall and Catherine O'Hara.

Rachel McAdams paid tribute to women who died, singling out Diane Keaton.

“Believe me when I say there is an actress of my generation who was not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity,” she said.

McAdams recited a Girl Scout song and poem Keaton used to say on film sets:

"Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver, the other is gold.

A circle is round, it has no end.

That’s how long, I will be your friend."

Madigan embodied the role of Gladys, giving a phenomenally creepy portrayal of the great-aunt of a young boy whose classmates go missing overnight. She won the Critics’ Choice Award and Actor Award in the same category.

The 75-year-old let out a deep cackle as she went on stage to accept the award.

“We’re kind of advised, ’Don’t say all these names, as nobody knows who the hell these people are,’” she said. “But you’re not rattling them off. They mean something to you; that you couldn’t be here without them."

The last time she was nominated for an Oscar was for her role in 1985 family drama “Twice in a Lifetime,” setting a record for the longest gap between nominations for an actress.

“Everybody’s asking me … ‘Well it’s been 40 years, what’s different about this time?’” Madigan said. “What’s different is this little gold guy.”

Her character is so integral to one of the movie’s biggest twists that she was kept out of the press tour and early marketing for the film so as to not give away any spoilers.

“Gladys has surprised me, she’s getting a lot of love back,” Madigan said in her acceptance speech at the Annual Actor Awards. “I didn’t know y’all wanted to hang out with her.”

Her character is “kind of inspiring in a strange way,” despite being the movie's villain, she said after her Oscar win.

If given the opportunity, she would love to reprise the role in an Aunt Gladys prequel, she said.

Some of Madigan’s most notable roles in her long career were in “Field of Dreams” and “Uncle Buck” in 1989. She has also acted in Broadway and off-Broadway productions.

“Opportunities (as an older actress) are less and you just hope that something finds you so you can find it,” she said in an interview with The New York Times. “And I don’t take it for granted, because you can go up and then you can go all the way down, as we know.”

Madigan thanked director and writer Zach Cregger for writing a “dream part” for her. While horror movies have traditionally been snubbed for awards, being treated like the “little kids table at Thanksgiving,” Madigan said she was heartened by the recognition for genre films like “Weapons” and “Sinners” this year.

She also gave a shoutout to the other nominees Teyana Taylor in “One Battle After Another,” Wunmi Mosaku in “Sinners,” and Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in “Sentimental Value.” The category did not have a clear favorite ahead of this year’s ceremony, with a crowded field of nominees splitting the biggest awards of the season.

Netflix's big blockbuster follows HUNTR/X, a Korean girl group that battles otherworldly demons, a rival boy band and their lead singer's own shame. Its choppy animation style, which combines 2D anime aesthetics with 3D CGI stylizations, underscores the high-octane action. The soundtrack, led by the Grammy-winning hit “Golden,” landed eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Alongside all the demon-slaying and choreography is a creative tale of self-acceptance that blends Korean mythology and K-pop idol culture.

In her acceptance speech, director Maggie Kang apologized to “those of you who look like me” that it took so long for them to be represented on the screen.

“This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere,” she said.

The win further demonstrates the global influence of South Korean pop culture. The film's fantastical world, where the only force standing between evil spirits and humanity is one snack-loving vocal trio, inspired many children’s Halloween costumes in the United States. The HUNTR/X singers — Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — gained hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, performed at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and appeared alongside Bad Bunny on the “Saturday Night Live” season premiere.

Arden Cho, who provided the speaking voice for Rumi, was named one of The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025.

The film's victory came as little surprise to those following awards season. The other nominees — “Arco,” “Elio,” “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” and “Zootopia 2" — had racked up few prizes at the shows leading up to the Oscars. “KPop Demon Hunters” won big at many of the precursors, including the Producers Guild Awards and the Golden Globes.

The recognition continues voters' celebration of original animated stories that don't adapt existing intellectual property. Recent winners include Hayao Miyazaki's “The Boy and the Heron” and the Latvian film “Flow.”

Kang has said she wanted to fully immerse viewers in its Korean setting rather than explain certain elements for Western audiences. By “throwing people into the deep end of a culture,” she previously told the AP, it is easier to break down barriers. “If you don’t shine a light on it, it just becomes more easily accepted,” she said.

“I am Conan O’Brien and I am honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” O’Brien said after taking the stage for the ABC telecast at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night. “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”

O'Brien, who also hosted the event last year, warned the audience that security would be high.

“I hear there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” the host said, getting a big laugh as the camera cut to a giggling Chalamet. The best actor nominee's disparaging comments on the art forms' relevance during the Oscars run-up became fodder for cultural discourse.

O'Brien also took aim at Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, who is annually a major figure in Hollywood but this year got special attention. His company nearly bought Warner Bros., the studio behind the night's biggest nominees, before backing out.

“It’s his first time in a theater!” O'Brien said, then took on a mock Sarandos voice. “What are they all doing enjoying themselves?!” he shouted. “They should be home where I can monetize it!”

In another operatic moment, singer Josh Groban, in knightly garb, serenaded O’Brien in a fantasy sequence where the host imagined winning an Oscar for his outstanding monologue.

“He did this himself, and he’s grateful to none,” Groban sang to music from “Zadok the Priest,” a 1727 coronation anthem by George Frideric Handel.

The ceremony's prerecorded opening nod to Amy Madigan's character in “Weapons” was maybe to be expected given how often O'Brien mocks his own hair and pallor, but still had surprising moments.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” O'Brien could be heard saying to a stylist before the reveal.

The segment had O'Brien sporting Madigan’s caked-on Aunt Gladys makeup and bright red wig from the film. It also showed him being chased by angry kids as she was in the role from the prestige horror film that won her best supporting actress a few minutes later.

Gladys-Conan was then folded into clips from other major nominees. He was animated into “KPop Demon Hunters,” played table tennis against Chalamet in “Marty Supreme” and sprinted across the Shakespearean stage in “Hamnet.”

After getting raves in his 2025 hosting debut, O'Brien — the 62-year-old onetime writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons,” former longtime talk show host, and professional podcaster — was rehired almost immediately.

He may have given the Academy Awards some stability in the hosting spot after much uncertainty about the often-thankless role, including the three-year stretch from 2019-2021 with no host. ABC convinced Jimmy Kimmel, the face of the network, to host four times, something that's unlikely to happen again with the Oscars moving to YouTube in 2029.

“Some people are worried this is going to change how the Oscars are viewed,” O'Brien said Sunday, “but I’ve been assured …” he was then cut off by a wildly intrusive, YouTube-style ad featuring actor Jane Lynch pitching a tactical flashlight.

The bit got a big laugh from the room, as did most of his monologue.

Oscar producers have shown what appears to be a genuine affection for O'Brien, who is easily the favorite to return as host, and has suggested his willingness to keep the job indefinitely.

That succession was addressed when the live show ended. A filmed scene borrowed the ending of “One Battle After Another,” which won best picture and five other Oscars (spoilers ahead). O'Brien's friend and former “SNL” cowriter Mike Downey reprised his role from “One Battle,” with O'Brien in the place of best supporting actor winner Sean Penn.

“We’ve decided to make you Oscars host for life,” Downey tells O'Brien in the halls of an office complex.

“I don’t know what to say. I’d like that very much,” a moved O'Brien replies. He's then shown being gassed a la Penn and carted, dead, from the premises.

His name plaque is replaced by one that reads “Mr. Beast.”