Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs and Surprises

Chase Infiniti is a snub and Kate Hudson is a surprise in the best actress category
Posted Jan 22, 2026 1:34 PM CST
Biggest Oscar Nomination Snubs and Surprises
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from "Wicked for Good." Neither received a nomination.   (Universal Pictures via AP)

The big story out of Thursday's Oscar nominations is the record of 16 set by the movie Sinners. But as always, the list of nominees also includes surprises and perceived snubs. Here are some of the bigger ones, as rounded up by People, the Los Angeles Times, and Deadline.

Snubs

  • Wicked: For Good—the sequel to the heavily nominated 2025 hit—was shut out entirely. That means no best actress nod for Cynthia Erivo, and no supporting actress nomination for Ariana Grande.
  • Rising star Chase Infiniti, widely seen as a frontrunner, did not receive a best actress nomination for her role in One Battle After Another.
  • Paul Mescal did well on the pre-Oscars circuit but did not get a best actor nomination for Hamnet, in which he plays a grieving William Shakespeare.
  • Benny Safdie's MMA drama The Smashing Machine failed to convert Golden Globe buzz for Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt into Oscar recognition.
  • Noah Baumbach's Hollywood-set Jay Kelly left both George Clooney and Adam Sandler off the ballot.

Surprises

  • Kate Hudson landed her first best actress nomination for Song Sung Blue, playing half of a Neil Diamond tribute duo and becoming a two-time nominee 25 years after Almost Famous earned her a supporting nod.
  • Delroy Lindo scored his first Oscar nomination in the supporting actor category for his work in Sinners.
  • Elle Fanning scored a supporting actress nod for Sentimental Value, in which she plays an actress.
  • The movie F1, starring Brad Pitt, is included among the best film nominees.

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