KPop Demon Hunters was among the big winners at last night’s (March 15) Oscars – though their acceptance speech for Best Original Song was cut off, provoking anger from some fans online.
Read More: Oscars 2026 winners – see the full list
Alongside Best Animated Feature Film, the Netflix phenomenon also expectedly took home the song award for ‘Golden’, which made history as the first K-Pop song as well as the first tune with more than four writers to win.
“Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone is singing our song and all the Korean lyrics,” co-writer EJAE of fictional band HUNTR/X said during an emotional acceptance speech. “This award is not about success. It’s about resilience.”
After thanking family members, the creatives on the film and Netflix, she then gently encouraged co-writer Yu Han Lee to make a speech, though he was rapidly cut off by music before he could say anything, leading the others to plead for more time to the camera, while audible boos could be heard from the audience.
Viewers have since taken to social media to express their frustration at the moment, with one writing on X: “Cutting off a historic moment like this is pure disrespect. The Academy needs to do better.”
“I’m sorry but this was so disrespectful to cut KPop Demon Hunters speech…,” another echoed, while a third wrote: “The oscar’s are rude af for this i’m sorry.”
“This pissed me off so so so much. So much. Not a good look for the Academy at all,” a fourth said, a fifth adding: “Using k pop demon hunters as hook to bring younger audiences and yet doing this. It was pure rudeness, and in both categories that the movie won. thats why even getting the ceremony to youtube wont help because they cannot grasp on what they fuck up every time, every year.”
Cutting off a historic moment like this is pure disrespect. The Academy needs to do better. EJAE deserved her moment.
— ismailyasar (@bayirliogluismo) March 16, 2026
I’m sorry but this was so disrespectful to cut KPop Demon Hunters speech… #Oscars pic.twitter.com/m18K2OEJLM
— (@DiaryOfKeysus) March 16, 2026
the oscar’s are rude af for this i’m sorry pic.twitter.com/3tSXtT8x54
— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 (@beyoncegarden) March 16, 2026
This pissed me off so so so much. So much.
Not a good look for the Academy at all.
— Brittanie (@wapogipo928) March 16, 2026
Using k pop demon hunters as hook to bring younger audiences and yet doing this. It was pure rudeness, and in both categories that the movie won. thats why even getting the ceremony to youtube wont help because they cannot grasp on what they fuck up every time, every year.
— Paola Yam Salazar (@paola_pys) March 16, 2026
However, the other winners were given a chance to speak backstage after their victory, with Yu Han Lee and Mark Sonnenblick thanking their families and the creatives on the film.
The big winner at last night’s Oscars was One Battle After Another, which took home six awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson – who also won Best Adapted Screenplay – and the inaugural Best Casting prize.
Sinners, which made history with the most nominations ever for a film, won four, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler. Autumn Durald Arkapaw also made history as the first woman and first woman of colour to win Best Cinematography for the film.
Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress for Hamnet, while Amy Madigan and Sean Penn won in the supporting categories for Weapons and One Battle After Another.
The night also saw Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet laugh off a joke by host Conan O’Brien about his recent controversial opera and ballet comments, while there was a moving tribute to late director Rob Reiner from Billy Crystal and others who had worked with him as part of the In Memoriam segment.
Meanwhile, Javier Bardem condemned Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu over creating “another illegal war” and said “free Palestine” while presenting the award for Best International Film.
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