Oscars 2026 LIVE Tonight — What Time, How to Watch, Full Nominees, and Red Carpet Updates — Sunday, March 15, 2026

The 98th Academy Awards are officially underway right now. Conan O'Brien is on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the red carpet is done, and the first winners of the night are being announced. Here is everything you need, all in one place.

What Time Are the Oscars 2026 — Start Time Right Now

The 98th Oscars are airing live tonight, Sunday March 15, starting at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT on ABC and streaming on Hulu. The ceremony is in progress as of this update. The official ABC red carpet pre-show was hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer. CNN and Variety teamed up on a separate red carpet broadcast from 4:00 PM ET.

How to Watch the Oscars 2026 — Every Option

The Oscars air live on ABC and stream on Hulu — watch at 7:00 PM ET Sunday, March 15. Cable and live TV subscribers can also access the ceremony through YouTube TV, FuboTV, and DirecTV Stream. The ABC app and ABC.com carry the stream free for authenticated cable subscribers. Hulu's ad-supported basic plan is carrying the Oscars live this year — no premium upgrade required.

Oscar Host 2026 — Conan O'Brien Returns

Conan O'Brien is back for his second consecutive year hosting the Oscars. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang confirmed his return last March, calling him "the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence."

Full Oscars 2026 Nominees — All Major Categories

Best Picture

The ten Best Picture nominees are Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley for Hamnet, Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone for Bugonia.

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio Del Toro for One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo for Sinners, Sean Penn for One Battle After Another, and Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value.

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value, Amy Madigan for Weapons, Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners, and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another.

Best Director

Ryan Coogler leads Sinners into the Best Director race alongside Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, with Chloe Zhao for Hamnet, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value rounding out the five nominees.

Sinners — The Record-Breaking Film of the Night

Ryan Coogler's genre-twisting vampire tale Sinners has 16 total nominations — the most for a single film in the 98-year history of the Oscars. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is close behind with 13 nominations.

Sinners has record nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. One Battle is the presumptive Best Picture favorite, having swept the critics awards and precursors, but Sinners' surprise win at the Actors Awards — the Screen Actors Guild equivalent of Best Picture — scrambled the race at the last minute.

Oscar Predictions 2026 — Tonight's Biggest Races

Three of the four acting categories are genuine toss-ups tonight. Michael B. Jordan faces off with Timothée Chalamet in Best Actor. Amy Madigan challenges Wunmi Mosaku and Teyana Taylor in Supporting Actress. Sean Penn could score his third Oscar if he outmatches Delroy Lindo and Stellan Skarsgård for Supporting Actor.

Jessie Buckley has emerged as the clear Best Actress favorite for Hamnet. After winning several awards throughout the season, she now stands close to making history as the first Irish performer to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Full Oscars 2026 Best Picture Nominees at a Glance

New Category Tonight — Best Casting Award

This year marks the first time the Academy is presenting a competitive award for Casting. All five nominees are Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent, and Francine Maisler for Sinners. The winner tonight will be the first person in Oscars history to receive a competitive Academy Award in that category.

Keep refreshing for live winners as they are announced throughout the ceremony. The telecast is expected to run until approximately 10:30 PM ET.