TRANSCRIPT: Michael B. Jordan’s Oscar speech
Michael B. Jordan proves that he is no longer the “actor to watch for,” as he has fully arrived after winning Best Actor at the 2026 Oscars — his first golden statuette — for his performance in the bluesy-horror film “Sinners”.
At the 98th edition of the Academy Awards, arguably the most prestigious award-giving body in Hollywood, Jordan was emotional as his name was called, hanging on to the hand of his mother Donna and kissing her cheek.
READ: Fil-Am Autumn Durald Arkapaw is the first woman to win a cinematography Oscar
Jordan bested other frontrunners for the category, Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothee Chalamet. He also won Best Actor for the same role at the Actor Awards (SAG-AFTRA), and nominated in others.
In his acceptance speech, Jordan paid tribute to the trailblazing careers of black actors before him, among them two-time Academy winner Denzel Washington, and Halle Berry, the first Black woman to win the Oscar Best Actress.
Jordan likewise thanked his producers Michael de Luca and Pamela Abdy at Warner Bros., director Ryan Coogler, whom he called a “collaborator and friend,” as well as the cast and crew of “Sinners,” where he portrayed twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore in the vampire-infested southern state of Mississippi.
The movie itself made history at the Oscars by earning 16 nominations in various categories, including Best Picture, which eventually went to tough contender, “One Battle After Another,” a political thriller led by DiCaprio. On the commercial front, “Sinners” is also considered a box-office success, grossing over $370 million worldwide.
The 39-year-old Jordan was once dubbed by People magazine as an “actor to watch” in 2013. The same entertainment platform also conferred on him the Sexiest Man Alive” honor in 2020.
Here’s the full transcript of his Oscars speech:
God is good, God is good. Yo momma, what’s up? My momma and my father’s here. Hey Pops, where you at? My dad came in from Ghana. My brother and sister’s here, my family.
I want to thank Warner Bros. I want to thank Mike and Pam for believing in this dream, this vision of Ryan Coogler, and betting on a culture and betting on original ideas, and original artistry. You’re (Coogler) an amazing, amazing person. I am so honored to call you a collaborator and a friend. You gave me an opportunity and space for me to be seen. I love you too, bro. Love you to death.
I would like to thank my whole incredible cast. Wunmi (Mosaku), thank you so much for giving Smoke (Elijah “Smoke” Moore, one of his two characters in “Sinners”), an opportunity to be him. Hailee (Steinfeld) at home, you know, she’s getting ready to have a baby right now. Thank you so much for being the other half of Stack (Smoke’s brother, Jordan’s other role). Miles, Delroy, Jayme, Li Jun Li, everybody, the entire cast. Thank you for the support…
Whew, man, y’all. I stand here because of the people that came before me. Sidney Portier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith. And to be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys. Thank you, everybody in this room, and everybody at home for supporting me over my career. I could feel it.
I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. So, thank you for keeping betting on me. And I’m going to keep stepping up. And I’m going to keep being the best version of myself that I can be. So I just want to say thank you to everybody in this room that has something to do with my success. I love you guys, and everybody at home who supported “Sinners” and went to see the movie once, twice, three, four, five times. Thank you, because you guys made this movie what it is. I love you, I love you, I love you.” /edv
