Each year, so many of us follow the impossibly glamorous Academy Awards from home, seeing the stars line up along the red carpet in their dramatic gowns and watching our favourite actors heading up the steps to accept their award on stage. However, there’s so much more which goes on behind-the-scenes at the event that outsiders like us rarely get to see – until this year. Now, we’ve had a sneak-peek into one particular guest experience – a secret note.
The 2026 Academy Awards were hosted by US talk-show star Conan O’Brien, and he left each guest a handwritten message under their chair, along with a special package. According to the BBC, nominees and their guests took their seats inside the Dolby Theatre to find a note featuring a message of support – and also a special request. It read: ‘Good luck tonight, have fun and remember that loud, enthusiastic laughter is good for your health and my ego.’
Alongside the secret note, the guests received a package of free snacks from the host, which he dubbed the ‘Conan O’Brien “Moderately Happy Meal”’. Addressing the selection, Conan wrote to guests, ‘These snacks may not look like much but in any movie theater they would run you $85.’ The BBC received confirmation from The Academy that this note from the host had really been left for guests, saying, ‘It’s real and it’s under every seat.’
The 98th Academy Awards saw a suitably star-studded lineup take to the red carpet, with the two most-coveted individual awards picked up by Hamnet and Sinners’ lead performers. Jessie Buckley took home the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Agnes (Anne) Hathaway in Hamnet, becoming the first Irish woman to win in the category. The film was nominated in eight categories but only won the Best Actress award.
During her speech, Jessie paid tribute to her daughter Isla, who is eight months old. Backstage, she added that it had been a special honour to receive the award on what was also Mother’s Day in the UK, given she was a new mum and her role in Hamnet had centred around motherhood.
Michael B Jordan won Best Actor for playing both Smoke and Stack in Sinners, one of four wins for the film. The biggest winning title on the night was One Thing After Another, which took home six prizes.
