Amy Madigan won the first Oscar of the 2026 ceremony and paid tribute to her husband Ed Harris as she collected her gong.
The Field Of Dreams star collected the prize for her terrifying turn as Aunt Gladys in the horror film Weapons.
Referring to her husband of more than 40 years, she said: “The most important is my beloved Ed who’s been with me forever, and that’s a long-ass time, and none of this would mean anything if he wasn’t by my side.
She added: “Thank you, I’m very overwhelmed.”
Comedian Conan O’Brien, who is hosting the ceremony for the second year in a row, opened the ceremony with an extended sketch dressed as Aunt Gladys, getting chased by children through scenes from the films nominated for best picture.
Dressed in a red wig with heavy white make up, like the antagonist from the film, he could be seen playing table tennis with Timothee Chalamet in Marty Supreme, running across the stage of the Globe in Hamnet, in the car with Benicio del Toro in One Battle After Another and trying to get into the juke joint in Sinners.
He also made reference to the turbulent situation in the world at the moment, when he said: “Last year when I hosted, Los Angeles was on fire. This year, everything is going great.”
He also took a swipe at Timothee Chalamet’s recent comment that “nobody cares” about opera and ballet, when he joked: “I should tell you, security is tight tonight, I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
O’Brien pointed out it was the first time since 2012 there were no British lead acting nominees, and added: “A British spokesperson said ‘Yeah, at least we arrest our paedophiles’.”
O’Brien also acknowledged that these are “chaotic, frightening times,” adding: “It’s at moments like these that I believe the Oscars are particularly resonant.”
Referring to the number of countries and continents represented, he said the nominated films are “the product of thousands of people speaking different languages working hard to produce something of beauty”.
He added they show “global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities, optimism.”
Box office hit KPop Demon Hunters won the best animated film prize, the second award of the night.
