At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Thursday, Adam Sandler took an uncharacteristically sharp tone toward the Oscars, targeting fellow actors in the Best Supporting Actor category as well as the Academy’s selection process. The 59-year-old actor, upset over not receiving an Oscar nod for his role in the film Jay Kelly, joked that the nominees likely earned their spots by being better at “ass kissing” within the Academy than he was.
This pointed remark came amidst a mixture of humor and frustration, underlining Sandler’s dissatisfaction with the absence of his name from the Oscar race despite earlier critical praise for his dramatic work alongside George Clooney and Laura Dern.
Sandler Mocks Fellow Nominees With Sarcastic Humor
During his remarks, Sandler acknowledged the achievements of the actual Oscar nominees but coupled his praise with a jibe about their supposed political skills within the Academy. He said,
“For real, thank you to everyone that got an Oscar nomination this year. Congrats. You earned it. I truly do think you’re better at acting than me,”
followed by,
“I also truly think you are better at ass-kissing in the Academy,”
thus mixing respect with sarcasm.
The category for Best Supporting Actor this year includes 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 Skarsgard for Sentimental Value.
Sandler Reflects on Missed Oscar Nomination for Jay Kelly
Though Sandler had been considered a strong contender for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar due to his role in Jay Kelly, he did not make the final list. His film had previously secured nominations at the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards, raising expectations for an Oscar nod that ultimately did not come.
Onstage at the festival, Sandler addressed his omission calmly, saying,
“I didn’t get an Oscar nomination. That’s all good, man. I don’t sit and think about that too much. I woke up that morning and heard I didn’t get it. … Everyone who did get the nomination, I’m like, well, they were f***ing great. So it made sense. It doesn’t bug me that much.”
He also expressed pride in the project and fondness for working with the film’s team, including director Noah Baumbach, Clooney, and Dern:
“I do feel nothing but pride for that movie and I loved running around with Noah and Clooney and Laura and with the whole team. You never forget those times. It was amazing.”
Humorous Remarks Address Sandler’s Oscar Journey
Apart from his criticisms, Sandler lightened the mood with self-deprecating humor. While accepting the Maltin Modern Master Award, he joked about a fortune teller he met in 1982 who predicted he would win an Oscar for a movie called Jay Kelly, quipping,
“Is it possible you didn’t say the full title and actually meant Jay Kelly 2?”
Sandler finished with a playful warning to his peers, vowing an intense return to drama:
“I have to say to my fellow thespians, I think next year I’m going to whoop your ass. I show the deepest, darkest Sandman you have seen in Grown Ups 3,”
before sincerely thanking the audience for the award, stating,
“But honestly, thank you for this award, it means the world.”
Full Breakdown of the 2026 Oscar Nominations
The latest Oscar nominations reveal a diverse and competitive field in multiple categories, highlighting films and talent from across the globe. Here are the full lists of nominees across key categories:
Best Picture Nominees
The race for Best Picture features a compelling group of ten films: Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. Notably, Sinners secured a record-tying 16 nominations, including this top category.
Leading Roles Recognized in Best Actor and Actress Categories
In Best Actor, nominees include Timothee 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 contenders feature Jessie Buckley in Hamnet, Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone in Bugonia.
Supporting Roles Highlighted with a Strong Set of Nominees
The Best Supporting Actor category includes the aforementioned nominees, while the Best Supporting Actress contenders are Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value, Amy Madigan for Weapons, Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners, and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another.
Additional Major Categories Showcase Creative Talent
The Best Director nominations signal a range of visionary filmmakers: Chloe Zhao (Hamnet), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Ryan Coogler (Sinners).
Original screenplay nods were given to Robert Kaplow (Blue Moon), Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident), Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Ryan Coogler (Sinners).
Adapted screenplay nominees include Will Tracy for Bugonia, Guillermo Del Toro for Frankenstein, Chloe Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell for Hamnet, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, and Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams.
Recognizing Achievements in Technical and Artistic Fields
Best Animated Feature Film nominees are Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2, while Best International Feature Film contenders include The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just an Accident (France), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirat (Spain), and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).
Oscar nods in other categories recognize exceptional works in casting, cinematography, production design, editing, original score, song, sound, visual effects, makeup and hairstyling, and costume design. For example, Nina Gold was nominated for casting Hamnet, Dan Laustsen earned recognition for cinematography in Frankenstein, and Avatar: Fire and Ash received attention for visual effects and costume design.
Short Films and Documentaries Gain Critical Attention
In the short film and documentary segments, nominees include animated shorts like Butterfly and Forevergreen, live-action shorts such as Butcher’s Stain and A Friend of Dorothy, as well as documentaries like The Alabama Solution and Mr Nobody Against Putin.
Impact of Sandler’s Comments and What Lies Ahead
Adam Sandler’s candid and biting remarks about the Oscar nomination process highlight ongoing tensions in Hollywood about recognition and the politics behind awards. His mixture of humor, frustration, and determination underscores a widespread debate about merit and insider influence within the Academy.
As the film industry moves toward Oscar night, the spotlight remains on the diverse array of contenders and creators. Sandler’s public stance may inspire other actors to speak out or energize his own future projects, including the hinted gritty turn in Grown Ups 3. The evolving landscape of cinema and awards discourse suggests that this year’s patterns of acknowledgment and exclusion could provoke further discussions about fairness and artistic recognition moving forward.
