Oscars 2026: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ makes Oscars history, but speech cut-off leaves fans furious

KPop Demon Hunters won big at the Oscars 2026, but it is also making headlines for an unpleasant reason. The Netflix phenomenon beat strong competition in the Best Animated Feature category, which included nominees such as Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. In the Best Original Song race, the winning track, "Golden," also competed against “I Lied To You” from Sinners.

But after grabbing the Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song on Sunday, acceptance speeches linked to the project during the live broadcast were cut short and it got some fans triggered.

KPop Demon Hunters' acceptance speeches cut short

After winning Best Animated Feature, directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, along with producer Michelle L.M. Wong, went on stage to accept the award. But while Kang was speaking, the play-off music began earlier than expected.

Also Read: Oscars winners 2026: Where to watch the Oscar-winning movies, including a free option

Viewers quickly took to social media platform X to voice their frustration. “It was very disrespectful what they did to the producers of KPop Demon Hunters at the Oscars, let them give the speech… having said that I’m glad they won.”


Another viewer wrote, “That cutoff music during the KPop Demon Hunters speech was a lil rude,” while a third commented, “Them trying to cut the KPop Demon Hunters speech short while Amy Madigan was up there forever #Oscars.”

Because the Oscars ceremony is broadcast live, producers often use music cues to keep speeches within the program’s schedule. But the criticism intensified when a similar moment happened again later in the night.

Second interruption during Best Original Song speech

The controversy resurfaced when “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters won Best Original Song. Singer Ejae began delivering an emotional speech before the play-off music started again, cutting the moment short before other collaborators could speak.


The repeated interruption angered some viewers even more. “Oscars habit of cutting people off while they’re speaking is so disrespectful and RUDE,” one commentator wrote on X. “It shows a lack of respect for those who worked hard and are simply asking for a few minutes to dedicate the award to the entire team behind it. It shouldn’t be done, it feels unprofessional.”


Another post read: “Atrocious of the Academy to cut off the winners of Golden Kpop in sharing their winning speech fully #oscars #GoldenKpop.”


Despite the controversy, “Golden” made history by becoming the first K-pop song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. The track’s success has been fueled by the immense popularity of KPop Demon Hunters, which topped music charts worldwide and also won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.