Ryan Coogler gave a sweet shout-out to his family after earning a nod for Sinners at the 2026 Oscars.
“Zinzi [Evans], you are the best wife and mom in the world. Every day I get to spend with you is better than the one that came before it,” Coogler, 39, said during the Sunday, March 15, ceremony, while accepting the award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay), referring to his wife. “And to my parents who are here, thank y’all for all the memories. Thank y’all for making me believe in myself.”
He continued, “And to my babies that are at home watching, I apologize for all the time away. Daddy loves you. Memories are all we have. I hope I gave you some great ones. When you’re blessed to live a long life and Dad becomes just a memory, I want you all to remember this one thing: I love y’all more than anything.”
The category was stacked with talent. In addition to Coogler’s Sinners, Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value were also nominated for the award.
Leading up to the 98th Academy Awards, Sinners made history with a record-breaking 16 nominations. Following closely behind were One Battle After Another with 13 Oscar nods, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value with nine each, Hamnet with eight and Bugonia, F1, The Secret Agent and Train Dreams with four each.
Even before the Oscars began, the 2026 awards season had been filled with emotional speeches. Teyana Taylor made an impact on the audience when she accepted her Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for One Battle After Another in January.
“Most importantly, to my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight. Our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine,” Taylor, 35, said at the time. “We belong in every room we walk into, our voices matter and our dreams deserve space.”
Earlier this month, Michael B. Jordan made a similarly heartfelt speech at the Actor Awards as he accepted his Male Actor in a Leading Role accolade for Sinners.
“I remember as a kid in this industry, you had to earn your vouchers to become a member of SAG. And I remember I thought it was this club … that I [wanted] to be in so bad,” he recalled. “I remember watching all the other actors that I looked up to being a part of that club, being a part of SAG-AFTRA, being a part of this community. And I was like, man, I want to be that one day. So I remember when I got my SAG-AFTRA card, I was like, ‘Man, I’m an entry-level member.’ And those guys were onstage with the awards and the nice suits talking, being in fancy places like that, that’s what I always wanted. And that kid from North Jersey is standing here right now.”
Jordan, 39, added: “Just being in this room right now with all these people who’ve seen me grow up in front of the camera and in these rooms and I feel the love and support that you’ve always given me and encouraged me to go on and do my best. So [I] just want to say thank you and yeah, man, it’s pretty cool.”
