As anticipated, "Golden" from Kpop Demon Hunters claimed the Best Original Song award at the 2026 Oscars, an achievement that was even more astounding given its historic status as the first-ever K-pop song to receive this honor. However, not all members of the triumphant team were given their due moment in the spotlight.
Emotional Ejae took the lead when she and five of her fellow songwriters took the stage. (Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park all shared in the honor.) "Thank you so much to the Academy for this insane award," Ejae began, her voice shaking with emotion as she kicked off the group's acceptance speech. "Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now, everyone's singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I'm so proud."
"And I realize the song, this award, is not about success, it's about resilience," she continued. "I'm just so grateful to our team. And I just want to thank my mom, my dad, my brother, my fiancé, my manager, of course, for always staying with me." She also thanked "the resilient cast of Kpop Demon Hunters," among others, including Netflix and Sony Animation.
But when she looked around her to see if there was anyone she missed, one of her cowriters approached the microphone with a piece of paper in hand. "I would like to thank," he began, before the orchestra started up, putting an end to the "Golden" team's time onstage. Sonnenblick tried to draw attention to the fact that a member of the team was still speaking, jumping up and down and seemingly saying, "come on," but they were ushered off as the ABC broadcast went to commercial break. As Sonnenblick continued to try to speak, he let it be known that the moment had been tarnished, at least a bit.
And indeed, the internet had thoughts. One user commented on Unilad, "Omg this is so rude!! They just made history give them 5 extra seconds," while another wrote, "STOP CUTTING WINNERS' SPEECHES WHEN WE HAVE TO SIT THROUGH LONG A** UNFUNNY BITS."
Earlier in the evening, when Kpop Demon Hunters was named Best Animated Feature, co-writer and director Maggie Kang said, "For those of you who look like me, I'm so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. That means the next generations don't have to go longing."
Ejaé, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami also brought the house down on March 15 at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre when they sang "Golden" live—the only song other than "I Lied to You" from Sinners to be performed during the broadcast.
