The songwriting team behind 'Golden' from Netflix's animated hit KPop Demon Hunters was played off mid-acceptance speech after winning Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. The film, previously nominated alongside the song and following a K-pop girl group battling a rival demon boyband, also claimed Best Animated Feature—marking the first K-pop track to win in Academy history. Team members finished their remarks backstage.
At the 98th Academy Awards held on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre, the songwriting team—EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, and Teddy Park—accepted the Best Original Song Oscar for “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. As Yu Han Lee began speaking onstage, the team was abruptly played off, prompting a commercial break and gasps from backstage reporters.
The film's dual victories capped a remarkable awards season, following nominations announced earlier, prior wins at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, and a Grammy for best song written for visual media. Backstage, EJAE said, “We feel very grateful and very honored. We all worked so hard and this is such a collaborative effort, we just need to thank our directors. They created a beautiful film. Everyone was a part of it and we are just so happy that the hard work paid off.” EJAE added, “Also, I needed to thank Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna onstage, but I didn’t get to because they just cut us off. They killed it with their singing and they’re just incredible people and I love them so much.”
Yu Han Lee continued, “I would like to thank all our families, my fellow Idol members and Teddy Park. This is an incredible honor.” Mark Sonnenblick remarked, “[I’d like to thank] my family, some of whom are here tonight, my husband, Isaac, who is here tonight. But also just to say everybody who worked on this movie, all the animators, it was a real collaboration across the board. It’s a movie where part of the movie is about looking at someone that you have been taught to hate and to fear and starting to trust, maybe even love them. And that’s part of what the movie is about. '[The song lyrics are not] ‘I’m going up, up, up.’ It’s ‘We’re going up, up, up.’ And that’s part of the reason that we’re [here] right now. So, thanks to the fans too who have loved this movie and made it into what it is and the soundtrack.'
