K-pop is having a major moment in 2026, especially on account of Netflix’s animated hit, KPop Demon Hunters. At the 2026 Oscars, the film featuring a demon-hunting, K-pop girl group at its centre took home two major accolades, including the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Additionally, the singers of HUNTR/X — the fictional group featured in the film also delivered a showstopping performance of their mega hit “Golden”, but the historic night for the winners of KPop Demon Hunters wasn’t without a hiccup.
The fervour of their victory was quickly overshadowed by a controversy after the songwriters’ acceptance speech was abruptly cut short on stage, sparking massive online debate. With the Academy now facing backlash from netizens, here’s a look at what transpired during the event.
It was a “Golden” night for KPop Demon Hunters at the 2026 Academy Awards as the makers of the film, as well as the singing and voice cast, made stunning appearances on the red carpet. Taking home one of the biggest awards of the night for animation, Korean-Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang delivered an emotional acceptance speech after bagging the Best Animation Feature win. Calling the Oscar win a major step forward for diversity, she said, “For those of you who look like me, I’m sorry it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. And that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing.”
The impactful contribution of KPop Demon Hunters as one of 2025’s most significant films was also visible during the performance of “Golden”, energetically delivered by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. The trio seemingly turned the Oscars audience into a concert venue of HUNTR/X, with A-list stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Stone, Teyana Taylor and even legendary director Steven Spielberg excitedly waving their lightsticks — a popular concert accessory and merch item among K-pop fans.
While most of the evening had the cast and crew of KPop Demon Hunters enjoying the fruits of their success, the celebratory moment of “Golden” winning the Best Original Song was unceremoniously marred as their acceptance speech was interrupted by the play-off music within a minute, signalling speakers to wrap up. Despite allowing a few other artists to go over their allotted time, the Academy’s move to cut off the KPop Demon Hunters Oscars speech has caused a major debate online, with some even accusing the Academy of racism.
Inside the KPop Demon Hunters Oscars speech debate: Internet reactions and more
What went down during the Best Original Song Oscars speech
🚨🔥 BREAKING: The Academy Awards audience reportedly booed after EJAE made history with the first Oscar win for a K-pop song and the orchestra began playing music over her speech as she got emotional. pic.twitter.com/XrYy1hU0Tq
— Watchman Media (@watchman) March 16, 2026
Picking their second major award of the night, KPop Demon Hunters‘ song “Golden” emerged victorious for Best Original Song, and it was a historic moment given that it became the first-ever K-pop song to win an Academy Award. To accept the honour, singer and co-writer EJAE was accompanied by Teddy Park, Mark Sonnenblick, Kwak Joong-gyu, Lee Yu-han (The Black Label), Nam Hee-dong, and Seo Jeong-hoon, who joyfully took the stage.
Delivering an emotional response to the coveted win, EJAE said, “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop. Now everyone is singing our song, and in all of the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud.”
While the audience cheered for the singer’s humble words, when producer Lee Yu-han, part of the production team behind “Golden,” stepped up to share his experience of working on 2025’s mega hit, the orchestra music began playing, effectively cutting him off. As he tried to speak, his microphone was muted, and the winners looked visibly dismayed by the situation. While EJAE tried to gesture, asking for more time, the screen soon went to a commercial.
Racism accusations and the Academy’s response
As the Oscar-winning team of “Golden” walked off the Oscars stage, fans following the live telecast of the ceremony began to flood social media with remarks calling out the Academy Awards for being “disrespectful” and “racist” towards the artists. Many pointed out how other winners were given more time compared to EJAE and the producers, who were seemingly stopped within a minute of their acceptance speech.
Netizens also recalled how Adrien Brody’s Best Actor-winning speech in 2025 was allowed to go on for five minutes and 40 seconds without the mic getting cut off.
I’m sorry but this was so disrespectful to cut KPop Demon Hunters speech… 😭✌🏾 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/m18K2OEJLM
— 🗝️ (@DiaryOfKeysus) March 16, 2026
kpop demon hunters waited their whole career for that moment on the academy stage and they cut the speech with music like the oscar came with a time limit pic.twitter.com/Qv0XfyYLBn
— uj (@lostuj) March 16, 2026
That cutoff music during the kpop demon hunters speech was a lil rude #Oscars
— fernando. (@notfjrod) March 15, 2026
No way they cut off the KPop Demon Hunters speech completely and went to commercials even when they stayed and asked to have more time. So disrespectful.
— Zak (@zakfilm) March 16, 2026
cutting off the kpop demon hunters like that felt racist
— chefkids (@girlflopping) March 16, 2026
Meanwhile, the producer behind the March 15 ceremony addressed backlash told Variety, “One thing, as we post mortem for next year, will be to look at how we’re handling speeches” and finding “the most elegant solution” that will allow all winners to have their time in the spotlight.
The unfinished Oscars speech
While the Oscars stage may have prevented them from expressing their feelings of joy and pride, the “Golden” team received the opportunity to finish their speeches during their backstage interaction with the media. Lee Yu-han, who was brutally interrupted at the ceremony, expressed, “I’m thankful to my family, fellow members, and Teddy. This is a huge honour.”
Also, Mark Sonnenblick, who didn’t get to speak onstage, added, “I want to thank everyone involved in this film, especially the animators. This movie portrays the journey of learning to trust—and perhaps love—those we were taught to hate and fear. That’s the film’s core.” EJAE also gave a shoutout to her fellow HUNTR/X singers, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, whom she couldn’t thank onstage amid a tight time constraint.
(Main and featured images: Robert Gauthier / Contributor/Getty Images)
This article first appeared here
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
