Sean Penn did not show up at the Academy Awards on Sunday to receive his third Academy Award for his supporting performance in “One Battle After Another,” and that didn’t go without a little quip from the man who would have given him the statuette, Kieran Culkin.
Before opening the envelope, the winner of last year’s Best Supporting Actor award for “A Real Pain” said in his teleprompter speech that he hoped that the winner would get a memory that would “last a lifetime.” But when Penn was revealed as the winner, he went off-script.
“Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening…or didn’t want to,” he said with a grin. “So I’ll be accepting this award on his behalf.”
Over the past thirty years, awards campaigning has become more aggressive than ever as Oscar nominees have done months of press interviews and appearances at FYC screenings and film festivals to promote their performances. But Penn has kept a very low profile in the run-up to these Oscars, appearing at the Golden Globes in January but not showing up to the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAs or the Oscars nominee luncheon.
lol at Kieran Culkin’s unscripted joke about no-show Sean Penn after he won Supporting Actor (his THIRD Oscar) “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening…or didn’t want to…so I’ll be accepting this award on his behalf.” pic.twitter.com/L2BcB2deAq
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 16, 2026
Now, Penn has joined an elite club of actors who have won three Oscars, joining the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Frances McDormand among others. But he is also the first no-show for an acting Oscar since Anthony Hopkins in the COVID-affected 2021 ceremony, when the star of “The Father” opted to stay home in the U.K.
As for the nominees who were in the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, some viewers on social media noticed the reaction of “Sinners” star Delroy Lindo, who remained frozen in his seat as Penn’s name was read. But “Sinners” fans still gave Delta Slim his flowers.
oh I know Delroy Lindo was pissed when Sean Penn’s name was called. Delroy deserved this Oscar tbh pic.twitter.com/H37cVGuxc5
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 16, 2026
Delroy Lindo should have won. That scene when he tells the story about his friend getting killed by the klan and then starts moaning his pain and grief, showing how Black people’s grief helped birth the blues is so powerful!
— Dr. Donielle Pace (@PacePoetry) March 16, 2026
i’m mourning at the loss rn, Delroy Lindo you deserve the moon & the stars
— tas (@tassnk) March 16, 2026
Penn’s previous wins at the Oscars came in the lead actor category, winning his first in 2004 for “Mystic River” and his second in 2009 for “Milk.” He has also received nominations for his performances in “Dead Man Walking,” “Sweet and Lowdown,” and “I Am Sam.”
The post Sean Penn’s Oscar Win Razzed by Presenter Kieran Culkin: ‘Couldn’t Be Here Tonight, or Didn’t Want to’ appeared first on TheWrap.
