Oscars’ Showrunner Reveals Moments Fans Didn’t See on TV

As Academy Award winners soak in the glow of their golden statues, party guests nurse hangovers, and the industry starts predicting what will be next year’s biggest films, the 2026 Oscars ceremony has come to a close.

Pulling off Hollywood’s biggest night is no small feat, as Oscars showrunner Raj Kapoor knows all too well. In an interview with the Associated Press, Kapoor acknowledged that no live event ever goes precisely to plan — like the tie for best live-action short film — but counted the broadcast as an overall success. 

One of the night’s highlights came from the goose-bump-inducing performance of Sinners‘ “I Lied to You.” Re-creating the film’s pivotal Club Juke scene with a little extra star power, Miles Caton was joined onstage by Raphael Saadiq, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Shaboozey, ballerina Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, and more. 

The captivating performance continued on even after the broadcast went to commercial break, with Kapoor saying that if it wasn’t for having to change over the stage, the showrunners would’ve let them continue for even longer. “There were so many talented musicians in that segment, and I think they were just really living in that moment and wanting to have the party continue because I think the energy in the room felt electric, and I really think between the audience and the performers onstage, nobody really wanted it to end,” Kapoor said. 

Speeches weren’t as lucky. The aim is to keep the Oscars under a three-and-a-half-hour run time, according to Kapoor, and winners were advised to keep their acceptance speeches short. 

“All the nominees are given guidelines of how long they have to speak and ultimately, in a lot of categories where there’s multiple nominees, we’ve asked for them to designate somebody to speak on behalf of everybody that’s nominated in that category,” he explained. It was a “tough decision” when showrunners abruptly cut the mics of Best Original Song winners, the team behind KPop Demon Hunters’ smash hit, “Golden.” 

“Ultimately, at that time in the show, we are now very, very extremely conscious of time,” Kapoor said. “And [we] want to be fair to all the nominees, so that ends up being a tough decision to make.”

There were no major technical difficulties that Kapoor flagged, but he did reveal that presenter Kumail Nanjiani only learned of the tie in the category for best live-action short film right before he stepped out onstage. “He was kind of like the perfect person to do that at that time,” Kapoor said. “I was so impressed with just how he handled it.” 

And as for the night’s host, Conan O’Brien, even Kapoor couldn’t tell if he had missed a cue that the show was back from commercial break. At the moment, Conan appeared to be chatting with audience members while standing onstage. “Conan is the master of improv, and he’s the master of reaction,” Kapoor said. “Sometimes, I honestly could not tell. I heard the cue go out. But the way that Conan played that bit, it could have been a Conan bit. He is one of those people that are so talented. And sometimes you really don’t know what he has planned.” 

“I feel really good,” Kapoor added to AP. “It is one of those things where you work so hard on putting something together, and the next day you’re absolutely exhausted and can barely talk. But it’s still kind of an amazing feeling.”