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Michael B. Jordan, nominated for an Oscar for the first time, won Best Actor at the 2026 Academy Awards. Jordan received praise for his performance in Sinners. During his speech, Jordan said: “I know you all want me to perform well. You all bet on me, so I want to do it too.”
Michael B. Jordan did it. In one of the most talked-about Oscar races of the season, the Sinner star ultimately won Best Actor for his dual role as identical twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed horror drama. As Jordan took to the stage to accept his award, he repeated, “God is good.”
Ahead of tonight’s awards ceremony, it seemed like no one could predict who would win the Best Actor award. Early in the race, Marty Supreme star Timothée Chalamet appeared to have cemented himself as the favorite for the Best Actor Oscar, winning both the Critics Choice Award and the Golden Globe for his performance… at least until Robert Aramayo for I Swear won the category at the BAFTAs, when Jordan himself won the Best Actor Oscar. (The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura, who was nominated for Best Actor at tonight’s Academy Awards, also won a Golden Globe alongside Chalamet in January.) Ultimately, Jordan’s post-acting momentum helped propel him to victory tonight, his first Oscar nomination.
“I know you guys want me to do well. You guys are betting on me, so I want to do it too,” the actor said while accepting the honor. “So, thank you for continuing to do so… for continuing to bet on me. And I’m going to keep stepping up.”
He also paid tribute to the pioneering black actors who came before him to win the Best Actor Oscar, including Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith. He also praised Halle Berry, the first black woman to win Best Actress.
Read his full speech below.
“God is good. God is good. Yo, Mom, what’s up? You all know how I feel about my mom. And my dad is here. Hey, Pops, where are you? My dad is from Ghana. My brother and sister are here, my family. I want to thank Warner Bros. and I want to thank Mike (De Luca) and Pam (Abdi) for believing in this dream, this Ryan Coogler vision, and taking a chance on it.” (Ryan) You are an amazing, amazing person. It gave me an opportunity to be noticed. I love you too.
I would like to thank the wonderful cast members. Eunmi (Mosaku), thank you so much for giving Smoke a chance. Hailey (Steinfeld) is at home and, you know, she’s getting ready to have a baby right now. Thank you so much for being the other half of the stack. Miles (Kayton), Delroy (Lindo), Jamie (Lawson), Li Jun Li…
Hey, everyone. I’m standing here because of those who came before me. Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith. To be among those giants, among those great men, among my ancestors, among my men. Thank you to everyone in this room and to everyone at home who has supported me throughout my career. I feel that way. I know you guys want me to do well, and you guys are betting on me, so I want to do it too. So, thank you for continuing to bet on me. And we will continue to step up. And I’m going to continue to be the best version of myself that I can be. So I want to thank everyone in this room who has a lot to do with my success. I love you guys, and thank you to everyone at home who supported Sinners and went to see the movie once, twice, three, four, five times, because you guys made this movie what it was. I love you. I love you. I love you. “
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