Irish actor Brenda Fricker, best known for her performances in “My Left Foot” and “Home Alone 2,” died Thursday evening at age 81.
Her agent Phil Belfield <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/07/17/brenda-fricker-dead/">told</a> TMZ that she passed away peacefully in her home in Dublin from an undisclosed illness.
&#8220;We will never see her again and the world is less for the lack of her,” Belfield said. “I was honored to know, love, and work with her, and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.&#8221; 

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Derek Thompson, who worked with Fricker on the TV show Casualty, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m70zremezo">told</a> BBC News that Fricker was &#8220;truly the best I have ever worked with, and I&#8217;ve worked with a lot of actors.”
Cathy Shipton, who also worked with Fricker on Casualty, added that Fricker was &#8220;one of the most authentic people I&#8217;ve ever met&#8221;.
&#8220;She lived her life courageously, warts and all. I loved her for her wit, her intelligence and her brilliant sense of humour,&#8221; Shipton said.
Actress Fionnula Flanagan <a href="https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0717/1583885-irish-film-world-pays-tribute-to-brenda-fricker/">told</a> RTE News that she was &#8220;totally devastated&#8221; after hearing of Fricker’s passing and described Fricker’s Oscar win as a paradigm moment for Irish cinema.
Flanagan added that Fricker was a “great talent” which was “terribly important for Ireland because at the time we didn’t have a film industry … She was one of the leaders of that movement.&#8221;
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Fricker was born in Dublin and gained acting experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002084/">according</a> to IMDb. 
She won international acclaim for her Oscar-winning supporting performance as the mother of a son afflicted with cerebral palsy in “My Left Foot”.
She also played acclaimed roles in classics such as “Angels in the Outfield.” She is best known among younger audiences for playing the part of the introspective pigeon lady in “Home Alone 2.” 
She persevered in her acting career, all while struggling to support an alcoholic husband and losing all six of her children to miscarriages.

Screenshot 2026-07-17 at 10.01.45 AM

Oscar-Winning ‘Home Alone 2’ Star Dies At 81

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In a feel-good moment for movie fans, it was announced on Wednesday that puppeteer James Ortiz is eligible for a Best Supporting Actor award at next year’s Oscars, per <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/project-hail-mary-james-ortiz-oscars-sag-eligible-puppeteer-1236726540/">Variety</a>. Ortiz was the puppeteer and voice actor for the rock-shaped alien, Rocky, who became one of the best-loved parts of Amazon’s smash hit “Project Hail Mary” last month.
The film is expected to garner plenty of other nominations at the next Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Ryan Gosling, Best Picture, and Best Director. There’s no telling if the Academy will select Ortiz as a nominee even though he is technically eligible.
Variety also noted that his work could be recognized in the Special Achievement Award category, which was last given to “Toy Story” (1995).
“Typically, we talk about puppetry as a technical achievement, and it is,” Ortiz told the outlet.
“It’s a spectacle,” he added. “For me as a performer, however, that’s never my entry point. I’m interested in the heart of the character — what they’re trying to communicate, what they’re feeling underneath all of it. When we can take a medium like puppetry, which is often seen as decorative, and bring to life a character with a beating heart in a way that genuinely affects people, then we’re doing something truly meaningful.”
Ortiz previously discussed how much expertise and planning went into bringing Rocky to life. Fans of the film praised its overall authenticity, which included using a real puppet rather than relying on CGI.
“Rocky is super intelligent and has a mind like a computer — you never have to say anything twice to him,” Ortiz said of the character. “He’s a brilliant engineer. But his soul, to me, always felt like that of a little brother. There’s a little bit of this anxious, 14-year-old boy who really wants to be invited to the party.”
“What I loved about the process was at no point did [directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller] or anybody on the team ever treat me like I was a technician, or like a plumber who was brought in to fix a specific thing,” the puppeteer added. “At every point they would ask, ‘what do you think, would Rocky do this or that?’ And I’d think about it and tell them exactly how Rocky would feel.”
“Project Hail Mary” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-learned-the-wrong-lesson-from-project-hail-mary">dominated the box office</a> last month with an $80.5 million domestic opening weekend, with a 95% critic score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. By the second weekend, the film had crossed $300 million worldwide and became the second-biggest non-franchise opening over the past decade, second only to “Oppenheimer.”

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In any other time, Timothée Chalamet would be the toast of Hollywood.
Young, handsome and versatile, few actors take their craft as seriously as Chalamet. So why is he suddenly considered a cartoonish villain within the halls of Tinsel Town? At a time when the industry still relies on 60-something stars named Cruise, Pitt, Depp and Reeves to fill seats, shouldn’t Hollywood be rallying around a much younger star?
Instead, we’ve spent weeks dissecting an offhand comment he made during a podcast chat and wondered if his “<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/timothee-chalamet-oscar-campaign-analysis-marty-supreme-1236521110/">swagger</a>” alienated too many Oscar voters.
Is this any way to treat a generational talent?
<div id="attachment_1064909" style="width: 819px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064909" class="size-large wp-image-1064909" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2110850824-809x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 24: Timothee Chalamet is seen on location for the Bob Dylan biopic titled 'A Complete Unknown' on March 24, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)" width="809" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2110850824-809x576.jpg 809w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2110850824-300x214.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2110850824-768x547.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2110850824.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px" />Gotham/GC Images</div>
In a just a short span, Chalamet has played a bevy of iconic roles. He gave us Paul Atreides, the complicated hero of the “Dune” saga, a remarkable take on Bob Dylan via “A Complete Unknown” and even a young Willy Wonka. He’s earned three Oscar nominations to date, cementing his status among his peers.
And these weren’t emotional picks by any stretch. He earned them.
His sublime turn in last year’s “Marty Supreme” had him earmarked for Oscar night glory. It was his time, especially since he missed out the year prior despite a dazzling turn as a young Bob Dylan. Chalamet spent years performing like the folk-rock legend, so when the cameras started rolling, he’d be more than ready for his close-up.
Cillian Murphy bested Chalamet for his work in “Oppenheimer” all the same. It happens, but the young star never stopped hustling.
He trained obsessively once more for “Marty Supreme,” the tale of a ping-pong prodigy whose moral lapses threatened his dreams of global domination.
<div id="attachment_1064923" style="width: 605px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064923" class="size-large wp-image-1064923" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2176665467-595x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Timothee Chalamet is seen on the set of &quot;Marty Supreme&quot; on October 7, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)" width="595" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2176665467-595x576.jpg 595w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2176665467-300x290.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2176665467-768x743.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2176665467.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px" />XNY/Star Max/GC Images</div>
Not only was he preparing years before the film hit theaters, he had to ape the precise ping-pong style of the 1950s. Tricking audiences that he was an elite ping-pong champion wasn’t enough. 
That’s hardly new for Chalamet, who happily rolls up his sleeves for the right role. He <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/timothee-chalamet-marty-supreme-ping-pong-training-1236454197/">learned Italian for his 2017 film</a>, “Call Me by Your Name,” which landed him his first Oscar nomination.
His latest extreme challenge didn’t grant him the ultimate acting prize. His fading can’t-miss status collapsed over the last few months, paving the way for the talented Michael B. Jordan to take Best Actor honors for “Sinners.”
That came as no surprise to Oscar observers. They watched Chalamet’s can’t-miss status crumble in real time.
First, he was working too hard to promote the film, appearing in public at pop-up events and flexing his Instagram account to drum up interest for the film. Why wouldn’t Hollywood crave such a creative approach to marketing?
<div id="attachment_1064925" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064925" class="size-large wp-image-1064925" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2195483518-864x576.jpg" alt="SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1876 -- Pictured: Host and musical guest Timothée Chalamet during the monologue on Saturday, January 25, 2025 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2195483518-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2195483518-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2195483518-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2195483518.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images</div>
Did anyone think a ‘50s era look at ping pong would draw huge crowds all by itself? Chalamet’s energy and enthusiasm helped make the film a hit, outgrossing the year’s eventual Best Picture winner, “One Battle After Another,” in American theaters — $95 million to $72 million, respectively.
Later, some pundits were turned off by his swagger. He simply wanted that golden statuette too much. What if he earned it fair and square? Since when is swagger a negative trait in a movie star?
Since now, apparently.
The post-Oscars recap of Chalamet’s loss is even more dispiriting. The Hollywood Reporter essentially asked the actor to disappear for a while<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/timothee-chalamet-break-dune-3-1236536689/"> so we’d “miss” him</a>, at least until the third “Dune” saga hits theaters in December.
<div id="attachment_1064927" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064927" class="size-large wp-image-1064927" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266738177-864x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Timothée Chalamet at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266738177-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266738177-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266738177-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266738177.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Emma McIntyre/Getty Images</div>
Overexposure is a real concern for some stars, but Chalamet doesn’t work nearly as often as some of his high-profile peers. Heck, there’s a running joke about the ubiquitous Pedro Pascal, but Chalamet’s resume is far less busy than the “Mandalorian” star.
Chalamet makes one sizable film a year, with the occasional supporting turn to flesh out his resume.
The craziest attack on the star came late in the recent Oscar campaign. The actor told fellow star Matthew McConaughey that he hoped film wouldn’t drop off the cultural scene<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/timothee-chalamet-still-getting-slammed-for-saying-ballet-and-opera-are-dead"> like ballet and opera</a> have in recent years.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it&#8217;s like, &#8216;Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.&#8217; All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there.”
That set off a firestorm, even though there’s some truth to his comments. How many people can rattle off the biggest opera or ballet stars in the world, as opposed to the biggest TV or film actors?
The critique <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doja-cat-admits-she-piled-on-chalamet-for-clicks-says-she-was-virtue-signaling">got blasted</a> far and wide, making its presence felt during the 98th Oscars ceremony hosted by Conan O’Brien.
“Security is extremely tight tonight. I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
The camera quickly panned to Chalamet, who grinned sheepishly at the bit.
<div id="attachment_1064919" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064919" class="size-large wp-image-1064919" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266716206-864x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Elle Fanning, Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet attend the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266716206-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266716206-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266716206-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266716206.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Kevin Winter/Getty Images</div>
That imbroglio may not have hurt him in the Oscar voting tally as much as some suspected. Many votes had already been cast at that point. Still, the fallout was considerable, and some voters likely would have held it against him if possible.
The notion that they would let such a silly spectacle warp their perspectives is a tragic glimpse at award season decline, not anything about Chalamet’s talent.
We need younger stars to step in while the old guard recedes for character parts and retirement. Chalamet offers exactly that, but is Hollywood ready to embrace him?
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The 98th annual Academy Awards on Sunday was the least-watched broadcast since 2022, attracting just 17.86 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, marking a 9% decline from last year. 
Hollywood’s biggest night was emceed once again this year by former late-night host Conan O’Brien. He mostly avoided hot-button political topics as promised, but did make some subtle political references, including a dig at the TPUSA Halftime Show.
Other presenters were more direct. Jimmy Kimmel, predictably, attacked President Donald Trump during the show, joking that Trump must be “mad” that “Melania” wasn’t nominated in the documentary category despite the film not being eligible this year. He also described “Melania” as being about “[walking] around the White House trying on shoes.&#8221;
Presenter Javier Bardem took a moment to <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/16/us-news/javier-bardem-faces-criticism-for-using-oscars-to-attack-israel/">virtue signal</a> from the stage, saying, “No to war and free Palestine,” while wearing buttons with identical messaging on his jacket.
Documentary filmmaker David Borenstein also had some thinly veiled criticisms of the Trump administration, which he expressed during his Best Documentary win for his critique of the Russian regime, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin.” 
During his acceptance speech, Borenstein said the film is about “how you lose your country,” which happens “when we act complicit when a government murders people on the streets of our major cities, when we don’t say anything when oligarchs take over the media and control how we produce it and consume it.” 
The blatantly political “One Battle After Another” was the night’s big winner, taking home six Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
“Sinners,” a horror film that tackled the Jim Crow-era South, also performed well, winning four golden statuettes, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan.
It was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oscars-trade-abc-for-youtube-in-2029-because-fewer-people-are-watching-anyway">announced</a> at the end of last year that the Oscars will move from ABC, its broadcast home since 1976, to YouTube beginning in 2029, as part of an effort to reach younger and more global audiences.

Politics Took Center Stage At The Oscars And It Didn’t Go Unnoticed

Activist actor Sean Penn raised eyebrows for skipping the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, especially after he won the award for Best Supporting Actor in “One Battle After Another.” It was later revealed that Penn was in Ukraine at the time.
Per <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/03/18/entertainment/sean-penn-awarded-oscar-forged-from-war-damaged-train-in-ukraine-after-skipping-ceremony/">Page Six,</a> Penn was meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday, and while he was there, he was given a flat, Oscar-shaped statue made out of forged metal from a destroyed railcar.
Ukrainian Railways CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi shared a video of Penn receiving the “IronOscar” on X. 
“You’re missing the Oscars,” Pertsovskyi told Penn. “Plus, you gave the last one to the president. So we made this one … You said the metals survived, so we put some words here that are very special to us. It’s not golden, but it’s very real, and it’s from the bottom of our hearts. It’s important to us.”
Penn hugged Pertsovskyi and said, “These are all treasures, thank you.”
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Sean Penn opted for the trip to 🇺🇦 vs. Oscar ceremony at Dolby Theater where he was awarded his 3rd 🏆. We couldn&#8217;t leave our great friend and loyal Ukrainian Raiwlays passenger without an award. So, I have presented Sean with our IronOscar on behalf of all of us! <a href="https://t.co/OLyzOY4h7L">pic.twitter.com/OLyzOY4h7L</a>
— Oleksandr Pertsovskyi (@Pertsovskyi_O) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pertsovskyi_O/status/2033873846546153537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The iron Oscar-shaped statue says on the back, “This steel once carried millions of people away from war. Then a Russian missile came. We did not melt it into a weapon. We forged it into gratitude — for you. For your talent. For your courage to stand with Ukraine.”
Academy Awards presenter Kieran Culkin joked during Sunday’s broadcast about Penn not being there after announcing he had won.  “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf,” Culkin said from the stage.
In 2022, Penn <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sean-penn-threatens-to-smelt-his-own-oscars-if-academy-nixes-zelensky-speech">threatened</a> to “smelt” his Oscar if the Academy Awards planners said no to a virtual appearance by the Ukrainian president, plus encouraged other celebrities to boycott the ceremony. 
Penn later gave his Oscars statue to Zelensky.
“I feel terrible. This is for you. It’s just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I’ll feel better and stronger for the fight,” he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/09/sean-penn-gives-oscar-to-ukraine-president-zelenskiy">said</a> at the time. “When you win, bring it back to Malibu. I’ll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here.”

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Sean Penn Skipped The Oscars, What He Received Was Far More Symbolic

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The Oscars were televised last night.
I’d bet you didn’t watch the awards ceremony. Nobody watched it.
The Oscars have been in a state of precipitous decline for decades. In part, that’s because nobody has seen the movies that are competing for the Academy Awards. But it&#8217;s also because the ceremony has become a left-wing agitprop fest.
Last night was no exception. The big winner was &#8220;One Battle After Another,&#8221; a truly egregious and terrible film about the virtues of domestic terrorism against a white supremacist infrastructure.
The other big winner was &#8220;Sinners,&#8221; a Critical Race Theory remake of &#8220;From Dusk Till Dawn,&#8221; the Quentin Tarantino vampire movie.
Conan O&#8217;Brien, formerly a funny human, told a bunch of stale jokes about how much Republicans suck, saying, “I should warn you, tonight could get political. Okay. And if that makes you uncomfortable, there&#8217;s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. It&#8217;s at the Dave &amp; Busters down the street. A lot of tickets for that.”
Hollywood loves Hollywood: All those people who don&#8217;t agree with their politics? The only thing they&#8217;ve got is Kid Rock and Dave &amp; Busters and all the rest.
There&#8217;s a reason their ratings are in precipitous decline.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2388-did-the-cia-spy-on-tucker-carlson?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
All in all, it was a totally forgettable evening, but at least most of the Oscar winners stayed out of politics, to the disappointment of at least one author in the New York Times, Daniel Kehlmann. Kehlmann is the author of a book called &#8220;The Director,&#8221; a really, really good book, but also the author of a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/15/opinion/oscar-winners-political-speeches.html">pretty terrible column</a> on the necessity for actors to say things.
Kehlmann wrote before the ceremony, “Hollywood’s great actors and directors are not merely well known; they are famous figures everywhere, even in dictatorships now closed to the world, such as Russia and North Korea. On Oscar night not only will the eyes of the American public be fixed on them; so will the ears of the entire planet, listening for the answer to the question: Your country is being turned into a dictatorship, people are being arrested and shot in the streets, your mad king is trampling your venerable Constitution underfoot — what do you have to say about it?”
Yes, according to Daniel Kehlmann, we need to hear from our greatest artists (actors!) about their geopolitical analysis. His book is about a director named G.W. Pabst, who was a little-known director from the 1920s and 30s who returned to Nazi Germany from the United States in order to be allowed artistic resources by the regime. The book is about art&#8217;s surrender to tyranny. In the book, Pabst is fully complicit with a genocidal Nazi regime. He even takes advantage of concentration camp victims as extras.
To equate America in 2026 with Nazi Germany is, of course, an act of extreme moral blindness. Unfortunately, that seems par for the course in much of the artistic community.
That&#8217;s why actress Charithra Chandran, whom I&#8217;d never heard of, wore a pin for the anti-Israel ceasefire in Gaza, where Hamas is currently murdering opponents in the streets, but not a single actor or actress anywhere on the Oscar red carpet said anything about the slaughter of 32,000 Iranians by the regime.
The only truly overtly political moment from any winner came from Paul Thomas Anderson, who said, “I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them, but also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”
Paul Thomas Anderson was not saying sorry to his kids. He was saying, “Look at my virtue signaling while I earn millions of dollars for films that lose $100 million at the box office.”
But at least he’ll sleep better at night with his gold statuette and $10,000 swag bag from the Academy.

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“No to war, and free Palestine,” declared actor <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/us/news/oscar-winning-actor-javier-bardem-voices-the-no-to-war-free-palestine-message-while-presenting-the-best-international-feature-award-at-the-2026-academy-awards/articleshow/129601339.cms?from=mdr">Javier Bardem</a>, teeing up the award for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards while wearing two <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PJFnQYur2Q">political pins</a> you could see from outer space. He didn’t need to read the room. The audience exploded into cheers and applause, kind of like the equivalent to a parent responding when a toddler proudly declares he has just used the potty. Way to go, buddy.
The ceremony will always be <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/oscars-tightrope-poll-hollywood-influence-00827186">political</a>, yet, after watching all six million hours of the Oscars broadcast (red carpet pre-show to Vanity Fair afterparty), I feel a little dirty. 
At first, I was all in on host Conan O’Brien’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjvnclCos_0">cold open</a> where he dressed as <a href="https://ew.com/weapons-aunt-gladys-amy-madigan-wins-first-oscar-40-years-after-first-nomination-oscars-2026-11925259">Amy Madigan</a>’s Best Supporting Actress-winning character from “Weapons” in a bit set to the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” I love the Beastie Boys and crazy wigs. And I think Conan is genuinely funny. Less than two minutes into his monologue, he announced, “I should warn you, tonight could get political.” As if future trophy winners needed anyone waving them in for a soft landing.
Referencing the Super Bowl halftime show sponsored by <a href="https://www.americanhalftimeshow.com/">Turning Point USA</a>, Conan added, “If that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at the Dave &amp; Buster’s down the street.” 
I want to say this ceremony went light on politics, overall, but maybe that’s like going “light” on pancake syrup and not stopping until the plate, table, and floor are fully submerged in Aunt Jemima. (Sorry, I mean <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966166648/aunt-jemima-no-more-pancake-brand-renamed-pearl-milling-company#:~:text=The%20rebranding%20is%20due%20to%20the%20following,*%20Cream%20of%20Wheat%20*%20Mrs.%20Butterworth's">Pearl Milling Company</a>, whoever she is.) On top of myriad <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-oscars-stars-pin-their-hopes-on-free-palestine-and-ice-out/">”ICE OUT,” ceasefire</a>, and “BE GOOD” pins adorning lapels and décolletage, author and &#8220;queer&#8221; activist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/glennondoyle/">Glennon Doyle</a> leveled up with a glittery “<a href="https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/oscars-2026-political-statements-1238677088/">F*ck Ice</a>” clutch. If I hadn’t just moved from my apartment on Hollywood Boulevard, I could have danced in the glow of the skyscraper-sized “<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/oscars-2026-all-the-political-moments/a-76374704">ICE OUT of L.A.</a>” projection on the Loews hotel during the event.
Most stars fell in line, even if they accidentally gave up the fact that they were beholden to optics. Sporting an Artists for Ceasefire pin for Gaza, “<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/lifestyle/bridgerton-star-charithra-chandran-debuts-at-oscars-2026-in-a-green-strapless-gown-11220718">Bridgerton</a>” star <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hollywoodreporter/video/7617591414305705230">Charithra Chandran</a> seemingly nailed the text from her manager, word for word. “I think that I am so blessed to have a platform and this is the least I can do to use it,” Chandran said on the red carpet. 
Inside the Dolby Theatre, insulated from real life by the thick velvet curtains covering Sephora ads normally seen along the staircase into the theater, titans of the entertainment industry freely relaxed in the collective hot tub of A-list groupthink. This is the exact thing crushing the very art they allegedly gather to celebrate. 
Best Adapted Screenplay winner for “One Battle After Another” writer <a href="https://youtu.be/ymG9WHPpt5o?t=75">Paul Thomas Anderson</a> said, “I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world,” encouraging the youngest generation to usher in “common sense and decency.” 
<a href="https://youtu.be/Re3C5H7Py-A?t=128">Joachim Trier</a>, winning director of Best International Feature “Sentimental Value,” took the stage to thank the people who worked on his film as well as his family. It was all going great until he took on the weight of representing everyone else in his category, and the world, paraphrasing American writer James Baldwin by adding, “Remember that all adults are responsible for all children, and let’s not vote for [politicians] who don’t take this seriously into account.”
Remembering his friend, the late legendary director Rob Reiner, actor Billy Crystal gave space to Reiner’s <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rob-reiner-spinal-tap-60-minutes/#:~:text=It's%20been%20more%20than%2040,t%20scared%2C%22%20Reiner%20said.">decades-long career</a>, capping it off with his crowning achievement: fighting social injustice with his late wife. “Rob and Michelle Reiner became the driving force in the landmark decision for marriage equality across the United States,” Crystal said, turning the rainbow flag <a href="https://youtu.be/uMSV4OteqBE?t=83">up to 11</a>. Sure, the Reiners <a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/12/rob-reiner-political-legacy/">donated their wealth</a> to influence California and national politics. But I refuse to remember that more than Reiner’s devastatingly brilliant directorial turns in “<a href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/rob-reiner-movies-ranked/">This Is Spinal Tap</a>,” “The Princess Bride,” and “Stand By Me.” Especially as his final Academy bow.
He wasn’t hosting this year, but Jimmy Kimmel still took a few swipes while introducing the awards for best documentaries. He made a crack at free speech in the U.S. and slammed first lady Melania Trump’s self-titled documentary, which wasn’t nominated, saying, “There are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes.”
Statistics on gun violence made the cut during speeches for Best Documentary Short winner “<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/oscars-2026-grieving-mother-shares-021638624.html">All the Empty Rooms</a>.” I wondered if they were even true. By that point in the show, I was too tired to ask ChatGPT or laugh at anyone’s belabored jokes. For one night, could we not obsess over the major issues of the day and just have a little fun? I don’t want to know — in fact, I would pay the price of an actual movie ticket not to know — what celebrities think about politics.
***
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Watch How Hollywood Turned The Oscars Into A Political Therapy Session

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At the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, some of America’s richest and most beautiful people decided to inform their <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-oscars-audience-today-reveals-something-about-americas-divide">shrinking audience</a> that they are exceedingly oppressed. They’re oppressed because the United States never recognizes Korean cinema, they’re oppressed because no one can ever speak their mind in this fascistic Trump regime, and they’re oppressed because every day, we draw closer to a dictatorship like that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Right.
Kicking off the delusional evening, the co-director for the award-winning short film &#8220;Two People Exchanging Saliva” thanked the Academy &#8220;for supporting a film that is weird and that is queer and that is made by a majority of women!&#8221; This makes sense because Hollywood famously hates things that are weird and “queer” and involve women.
When “KPop Demon Hunters” rightly won multiple awards, including one for best animated feature — yes, I said rightly, go check it out on Netflix! — creator Maggie Kang used her acceptance speech to apologize “to Koreans everywhere.” Never mind that the Korean film “Parasite” won best picture in 2020 and that K-pop artists such as BTS and BLACKPINK have rabid followings here in America.
Kang must be stuck in 2015, when the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag was trending. Now, we have Academy-mandated <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oscars-announce-new-inclusion-standards-for-best-picture-revolving-around-underrepresented-groups">diversity quotas</a>. But that didn&#8217;t stop Kang from shooting her shot at the oppression Olympics. “I am so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. And that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing,” she said.
For her role in “Hamnet,” Jessie Buckley just became the first Irish woman to win Best Actress, and she didn’t say a thing.
Not to be outdone, Jimmy Kimmel, who was only at the Oscars to present awards for documentaries, decided to make the night about him. This can be hard to do as a straight white male in the current climate, but he found a way. 
“We hear a lot about courage at shows like this, but telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage,” he said. “As you know, there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS.”
Kimmel is still upset that he claimed on air that Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a deranged right-winger, and the world noticed his lie. His jab at CBS appears to be a shot at the Left’s new favorite punching bag, Bari Weiss. CBS wasn’t biased before, of course, but now that it’s run by a conservative-adjacent figure, it is rife with scandal! In North Korea, “antistate” agitators <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/north-korea">face</a> imprisonment and extrajudicial killings. In the U.S., they face the praise of liberal media. See if you can spot the difference. 
None of this can top the grandstanding by some guy named David Borenstein, a documentary filmmaker who apparently has spent a lot of time in China and recently set his sights on the Russian regime with &#8220;Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” which won best documentary feature. During his acceptance speech, Borenstein said the film is about &#8220;how you lose your country.&#8221; This happens &#8220;when we act complicit when a government murders people on the streets of our major cities, when we don&#8217;t say anything when oligarchs take over the media and control how we produce it and consume it,&#8221; he said.
Not exactly a subtle reference to current left-leaning talking points about the United States. Incredibly, as Kyle Smith <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/trump-was-everywhere-on-oscar-night-60c1d536?mod=author_content_page_1_pos_1">pointed out</a> in the Wall Street Journal, Borenstein’s talking points got even worse after the show.
“One interesting thing about working with a team of Russians throughout this process has been my desire, as an American, to constantly compare the situation in America to Russia … a lot of my Russian colleagues and friends always said, ‘No, it’s not the same situation. It’s actually happening quicker in America than it’s been happening in Russia. Trump was moving a lot quicker than Putin in his early years,’” he said. “So that’s kind of all I have to say to that.”
In the oppressive landscape of 21st-century America — that is, the part of the century that does not include the Clinton, Obama, or Biden years — our entertainment industry wants us to know how brave it is. While sporting glittering designer gowns, barely-there ceasefire pins, and more botox than a human face should be able to hold, celebrities would have us believe that their resistance is akin to those fighting against dictatorships in North Korea and Russia. They’re stuck in a world where non-white actors are discriminated against rather than given job opportunities through heavy-handed quotas.
In reality, the rest of us just like to watch their movies — and even that often isn’t true anymore. Perhaps worse than the lectures about ending wars and resisting the president is the implication that the celebrities who were celebrated on Hollywood’s biggest night have somehow been discriminated against. Spare us your sob story, please, and invest that energy into making better movies.
***
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Hollywood’s Richest Stars Spent Oscars Night Claiming They’re Oppressed

“Hamnet” star Jessie Buckley, who just won the Academy Award for Best Actress on Sunday night, is being praised for her pro-family, pro-baby acceptance speech that stands in stark contrast to previous winners who celebrated abortion from the podium. 
Buckley, 36, became visibly emotional when her name was announced during Hollywood’s biggest night. She began her speech by thanking the cast and crew, but then drew the most attention by directing it toward her family. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jessie Buckley Wins Best Actress | 98th Oscars Speech (2026)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tI12K8G1U2c?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“My family, my Irish family, they’re all here,” she said. “Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation and to carve from your own passion.”
Buckley next turned her attention to her husband of three years. “You, Fred, I love you, man. I love you; you’re the most incredible dad. You’re my best friend, and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you, I do. I do!” she said.
The mom of one then addressed her baby daughter. “And Isla, my little girl who is eight months, who has absolutely no idea what’s going on and is probably dreaming of milk, but this is kind of a big deal, and I love you, and I love being your mom, and I can’t wait to discover life beside you,” she went on. 
“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. We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognizing me in this role. This is the greatest honor. I can’t even believe it.”
Buckley was the first Irish woman to win a Best Actress award, but chose to skip blathering about representation and instead focus on her loved ones.
Reactions on social media were overwhelmingly positive.
“Imagine if every Hollywood actor showed this level of humility and poured this kind of love onto their kids instead of giving us preachy lectures. Hollywood would still have fans,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/kangminlee/status/2033384463489466865?s=43">wrote</a>.
“This is the greatest expression of love between two healthy people,” conservative pundit Bethany Mandel <a href="https://x.com/bethanyshondark/status/2033468952936866079?s=43">said</a> of the “want to have 20,000 more babies with you” line. 
“Beautiful,” pro-life activist Lila Rose agreed. “Marriage isn’t a trap. Babies aren’t burdens. Motherhood is a gift.”
Buckley’s testament to family following her win stands in stark contrast to Michelle Williams’ infamous acceptance speech at the Golden Globes in 2020, when she said, &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t have been able to do this without employing a woman&#8217;s right to choose.”

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Best Actress Winner Praised For Pro-Family Message At Oscars

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I have a confession to make: Even as a certified conservative, I miss loving the Oscars. I miss the anticipation of those Sunday nights. I miss the domestic clatter of it — the clanging of dishes in the kitchen, the gathering of popcorn, the descent into the basement to park myself before the glow of the television. I miss the shared post-mortem with my mother, dissecting hemlines and styling choices, simply admiring the objective beauty of the spectacle.
Mostly, I miss loving what it celebrated: actors working at the top of their craft, called into a vocation with a unique sway over the human heart. Men and women tasked with reminding us of the dignity of the human experience — making us, especially as children, yearn for experiences we’d not yet had, feelings we’d had no occasion to feel. Actors reminding us that beauty exists, pointing us to its source, and ultimately helping people make meaning of their own stories within the ultimate one.
The Hollywood class still believes the Oscars matter to the public in this way. They are sadly mistaken. The country stopped tuning in years ago.
In 1998, when the ceremony was still a shared national ritual and &#8220;Titanic&#8221; swept the board, 57 million of us watched. Through the early 2000s, broadcasts often drew over 40 million viewers; even into the 2010s, over 30 million was common. By 2021, however, the ceremony had hit an all-time low of 10.4 million. Despite a modest rebound lately to roughly 19-20 million, the audience remains a ghost of its former self. Hollywood’s “national event” now resonates almost exclusively within Hollywood.
The box office tells the same story. Many of this year’s nominees barely register as movies you’d actually go see on a Saturday night. Among the 2026 Best Picture contenders, a few grossed modestly well: &#8220;F1,&#8221; &#8220;Sinners,&#8221; and &#8220;One Battle After Another.&#8221; Most others were tiny in comparison: &#8220;Bugonia&#8221; has grossed around $40 million and &#8220;Sentimental Value&#8221; $22 million worldwide. Several played only at festivals or in limited art-house runs. These movies, praised in niche circles, were largely invisible to the rest of the country.
Even when the ceremony pulls 20 million viewers, it is not America in the round. The audience skews older, wealthier, and disproportionately coastal; Los Angeles, New York, and other urban markets register above the national average. Many younger Americans aren’t interested at all. This is a cluster of affluent, urban viewers watching a show that reflects their own tastes and values — a clear marker of the gulf between Middle America and the coasts. The Great Divide in black tie.
Why? Why have the Oscars become so siloed, watched mostly by an older, affluent, coastal audience while the rest of the country looks outward, upward, anywhere else? I believe it comes down to what we choose to celebrate. I’m not talking about the applause when winners wade up the stairs in heels and floor-length gowns. I mean everything else: the movies themselves, and the values embedded in them.
The divide runs deeper than taste. It’s a question of what art is for. The late philosopher Roger Scruton wrote often of beauty as the form through which the sacred manifests itself to us. He warned that art fails when it abandons beauty for provocation alone.
He was onto something. Too many Oscar favorites today have stopped prizing cinematic beauty or harmony of form. Instead, they prize &#8220;perceived importance&#8221; — trauma-laden narratives, abrasive aesthetics, and a certain grim moral instruction. The numbers tell the story of a public that feels lectured rather than lifted. According to a recent Rasmussen <a href="https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/april_2024/movies_aren_t_getting_better_most_americans_say?">report</a>, 54% of Americans believe movies have gotten worse over the past two decades, while only 27% say they’ve improved. Hollywood is delivering lectures instead of entertainment and wondering why half the country has stopped watching.
“Assumed liberalism,” a term I leaned heavily on in theater school, runs through host monologues, speeches, and acceptance remarks alike. Americans with differing worldviews — the majority of the country, it turns out — must sift through leftist jargon just to figure out who won Best Picture. As Ross Douthat <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/opinion/oscars-irrelevant-decline-ratings.html">puts it</a>, the Oscars have become a “boutique affair for American liberals,” a ceremony prioritizing social commentary and niche arthouse films over popular, mainstream cinema. It is also, in his words, a “venue for liberal soapboxing,” where ideology is celebrated as artistry, and the rest of the country is largely left out.
Of course, there are other culprits. Short-form media has fractured our attention; the pandemic bruised the theater-going habit; streaming platforms have made us all shut-ins. But those are the mechanics of the decline, not the heart of it. The heart of the problem is what the Oscars now define as worthy of our attention. The result is a cultural echo chamber — a narrow slice of Americans celebrating messages that resonate little beyond their own zip codes.
Some conservatives are happy about this; vindictive, even. I don’t count myself among them. The country needs these silly, glittering nights more than we like to admit — moments when we can look at the stars and see something of ourselves in them: our dignity, our aspirations, and our common story.
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Grace Salvatore is senior editor of media, arts, and culture for Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Restoring the West and a contributor to Independent Women’s Voice.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The Oscars Audience Today Reveals Something About America’s Divide

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