“KPop Demon Hunters” Sparks Boos At “2026 Oscars” After Suffering Severe Disrespect

The animated film KPop Demon Hunters made history at the Academy Awards on March 16, taking home both “Best Animated Feature” and “Best Original Song” for the track “Golden.”

“KPop Demon Hunters” Creator Sparks Major Controversy With “2026 Oscars” Winners Speech

However, what should have been a celebratory moment quickly sparked backlash from the audience as well as online after the songwriting team’s acceptance speech for “Best Original Song” was abruptly cut short.

“Golden” has now won a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and an Oscar! | Netflix

After taking the stage, songwriter EJAE began speaking, then turned to the rest of the team so they could deliver their parts of the speech.

When Lee Yu Han began reading from a prepared letter to thank collaborators and family members, the Oscars orchestra suddenly started playing, signaling the end of their allotted time and forcing the speech to stop.

K-Pop Demon Hunters songwriting crew get speech cut at #Oscars after making history winning Original Song pic.twitter.com/g7WekvTpau

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 16, 2026

The sudden cutoff shocked the audience inside the venue, with loud boos reportedly heard as the music played them off stage.

🔥🚨BREAKING: The Oscars audience erupted in anger and boos when EJAE got emotional as she made history as the first Oscar win for a K-pop song and the academy played music over her as she attempted to speak.

Viewers are currently pissed online, no way to put it lightly. pic.twitter.com/PvTnCoHswN

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 16, 2026

Later, the scathing backlash on X (formerly Twitter) ensued.

the oscar’s are rude af for this i’m sorry😭 pic.twitter.com/3tSXtT8x54

— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) March 16, 2026

This was so disrespectful @TheAcademy #Oscars pic.twitter.com/VZjWxKx8Lc

— 𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚔 (@arikbeyhive) March 16, 2026

I’m sorry but this was so disrespectful to cut KPop Demon Hunters speech… 😭✌🏾 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/m18K2OEJLM

— 🗝️ (@DiaryOfKeysus) March 16, 2026

During the post-ceremony press conference, the moment was addressed again. While smiling and laughing about the situation, a journalist’s question allowed Lee Yu Han to finish the part of the speech that had been cut off during the live broadcast, thanking their families, fellow crew members, and producer Teddy Park.

'KPop Demon Hunters' songwriters react to getting cut off at the #Oscars after winning Best Song for "Golden" and finish their speech

Read more: https://t.co/0leputa07C pic.twitter.com/96dKLkewAZ

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 16, 2026