Academy Awards 2026: Seven Shocking Snubs That Stunned Hollywood
The 2026 Oscar nominations delivered unexpected surprises, leaving major stars and acclaimed films completely shut out. From blockbuster anime hits to A-list performances, these omissions have sparked fierce debate across the entertainment industry.
Academy voters delivered some jaw-dropping surprises when the 2026 Oscar nominations dropped. Major stars found themselves completely shut out while critically acclaimed films received zero recognition.
The snubs range from predictable oversights to absolutely wild omissions that have Hollywood buzzing. Here's our ranking of the most shocking exclusions, from somewhat expected to downright outrageous.
Chainsaw Man Movie Gets Animation Cold Shoulder
The Best Animated Feature category completely ignored Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, despite the MAPPA production earning $159mn worldwide at the box office.
Instead, voters went with Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. The anime snub isn't totally surprising given Hollywood's track record with Japanese animation, but the financial success made this one sting.
Ariana Grande's Glinda Gets No Love
Social media exploded when Ariana Grande missed out on recognition for her Glinda performance in Wicked: For Good. She dominated at the Golden Globes but couldn't crack the Academy's Best Supporting Actress lineup.
Voters chose Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas from Sentimental Value, plus Amy Madigan in Weapons, Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners, and Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another. Grande's exclusion hurts, but the competition was brutal this year.
Paul Mescal's Shakespeare Doesn't Make the Cut
Chloe Zhao's Hamnet featured Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare processing grief over his son's death while writing Hamlet. The film centered on Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare, but Mescal got completely overlooked for Best Supporting Actor.
The category went to Benicio del Toro in One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo in Sinners, Sean Penn in One Battle After Another, and Stellan Skarsgård in Sentimental Value. Tough competition pushed out Mescal's acclaimed performance.
Jennifer Lawrence's Dark Turn Ignored
Die My Love didn't exactly light up theaters, but Jennifer Lawrence delivered something special as Grace. The film's experimental, dark tone might have scared off voters who went with safer choices.
Lawrence lost out to Jessie Buckley in Hamnet, Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone in Bugonia. Her Golden Globe nomination wasn't enough to carry over.
The Rock Can't Smash Into Best Actor
Dwayne Johnson's dramatic turn as MMA legend Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine earned critical praise but zero Oscar love. The film snagged a Best Makeup and Hair Styling nomination while Johnson got shut out completely.
Best Actor went to Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan in Sinners, and Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent. The film's poor box office performance probably hurt Johnson's chances.
Guillermo del Toro's Monster Vision Snubbed
Here's where things get really wild. Frankenstein scored nine nominations total, including technical categories and Jacob Elordi for Supporting Actor. But director Guillermo del Toro got completely shut out of Best Director.
Voters picked Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, and Ryan Coogler for Sinners. Del Toro's masterful adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel deserved better.
No Other Choice Gets Zero Nominations
The biggest shocker of all: Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice received exactly zero nominations. The South Korean satirical thriller earned a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and was a critical darling heading into awards season.
Best Picture nominees included Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. The Academy chose high-octane racing drama F1 and historical epic Train Dreams over Park's acclaimed work. This complete shutout ranks as the most inexplicable snub in recent memory.