Sean Penn was notably absent from the 2026 Oscars on Sunday, despite taking home his third Academy Award.
The actor, 65, was a no-show at this year’s ceremony despite being nominated for Best Supporting Actor – a move which both offended and impressed netizens.
Penn became the fourth male actor to win three Oscars after he beat Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Delroy Lindo and Stellan Skarsgard in the category.
But his absence infuriated X users, who suggested that future shows cease awarding trophies to winners who are not present.
However, it was later revealed that the actor and activist had skipped the ceremony to visit Ukraine, according to sources speaking to the New York Times.
It is not known why Penn was visiting Ukraine. However, he has visited multiple times, including to film a documentary about President Volodymyr Zelensky when Russia invaded the country.
The Daily Mail has contacted Penn’s representatives for comment and has yet to hear back.
Sean Penn was notably absent from the 2026 Oscars on Sunday, despite taking home his third Academy Award
Penn won the gong for Best Supporting Actor for his role in One Battle After Another
‘There should be a rule that whoever doesn’t show up because they don’t give a s**t about the award doesn’t get it either, like in a raffle. Didn’t come? Next on the list, please. [An] exception would be for health reasons. Sean Penn doesn’t give a damn about this award,’ one reasoned.
Another was stunned by the fact that Penn had something ‘better to do’ than attend the Academy Awards: ‘I can’t stop thinking: What the F**K did Sean Penn have better to do than go to the Oscars???’ one inquired.
‘Unless you have a good reason not to be in attendance, if you can’t be bothered to show up to the Oscars, your award should go to the runner-up. Sean Penn. This is about Sean Penn,’ another wrote.
‘It pisses me off when someone wins an #Oscars and doesn’t even show up. Sean Penn couldn’t care less about that award,’ another posted.
‘Sure give Sean Penn a third Oscar when he didn’t even bother to show up and everyone else in that category deserved it too…’ one wrote.
‘Sean Penn won “Best Supporting Actor,” who isn’t present because he couldn’t care less since this is already his third Oscar HAHAJAJAJA,’ one wrote.
‘Sean Penn not showing up to the Oscars knowing he’s going to win is such a prick move,’ one posted.
An unfiltered X user stated plainly: ‘Sean Penn is a piece of [turd emoji].’
One joked Penn, who smoked indoors at the 2026 Golden Globes, was merely not capable of sitting through the show without getting his nicotine hit.
‘Sean Penn couldn’t go without a cigarette long enough to sit through the #Oscars,’ one wrote.
Penn beat Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Delroy Lindo and Stellan Skarsgard in the category
Presenter Kieran Culkin couldn’t resist cracking a joke about Penn’s absence after he announced him as the winner
Penn reportedly skipped the Oscars to travel to Ukraine, a country he has visited multiple times, including in 2022, above
Offended X users suggested offering the award to another nominee who did attend the show
At least one X user found the snub rather impressive.
‘Three Oscars for Sean Penn who doesn’t give a damn about awards season is such a flex,’ one wrote.
Another gave Penn kudos: ‘Give him credit. Sean Penn said he didn’t care about the #Oscars and stayed true to his word and stayed home,’ another posted.
Indeed, his absence isn’t necessarily a massive surprise.
Penn has previously missed out on past Oscars where he had been a nominee and also did not attend this year’s BAFTAs and the Actor Awards, where he ended up reigning victorious.
Kieran Culkin, who was announcing the gong, cracked a joke about Penn’s absence when the star ended up winning.
One impressed X user called his snub a ‘flex’
Another didn’t see what the big deal was about Penn’s absence
‘Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf,’ the Succession star joked.
The 98th Academy Awards celebrated the best films of 2025, with the glitzy ceremony taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Conan O’Brien, 62, returned to host the show for a second consecutive year after taking over the role from Jimmy Kimmel.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners led the pack with a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most for any film in Academy Awards history.
Penn defied social etiquette and lit up a cigarette inside the 2026 Golden Globes
The horror flick was beaten by One Battle After Another in Best Picture.
But Sinners star Michael B Jordan won in the Best Actor category, beating fellow nominees Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
Set in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners follows twin brothers (both played by Jordan) who return to their hometown only to face a supernatural evil.
While Chalamet dominated the early season with wins at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, the momentum shifted after Jordan won at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards.
Adding to the tension, the ceremony arrived on the heels of Chalamet’s controversial comments about how ‘no one cares’ about ballet or opera, which sparked a wave of backlash from the arts community.
Based on the life of professional ping-pong player Marty Reisman, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme stars Chalamet as a table tennis prodigy in 1950s New York whose ambition to become world champion jeopardizes his personal relationships.
Irish star Jessie Buckley took home the gong in the Best Actress category for her work in Hamnet. She was largely tipped to win, competing against Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I would Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
Helmed by 2021’s Best Director winner Chloe Zhao, Hamnet dives into the reimagined story of William Shakespeare’s home life and how the death of his 11-year-old son provided the emotional blueprint for his masterpiece, Hamlet.
The ceremony kicked off at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT, airing live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu. It also streamed via Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
