The 2026 Oscars are here and Remezcla had the exclusive opportunity to attend rehearsals for the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. And this time around, we’re hitting it a little bit differently.
Last year when we attended the 2025 Oscars rehearsal we dived into specifics from what the celebrities were wearing to a lot of the little jokes between presenters like Goldie Hawn and Andrew Garfield or Sterling K. Brown and Ana de Armas.
For 2026, we’re going to be doing a list of highlights to better understand the show and what to expect for a night themed around “Humanity.”
1. Witnessing the Bridesmaids Reunion
Even though 15 years have passed since the release of Bridesmaids, the cast was giggling, clapping, blowing kisses like not a day had passed. Melissa McCarthy also kept making Rose Byrne break out into laughter. That’s not even taking into consideration how much the audience, which is the production team for the Oscars, kept laughing as they read their lines. Expect them to go big, do some surprising crowd work, and own that stage.
An additional note if you’re a Bridesmaids fan, the cast had a very girlhood moment on stage. Byrne literally grabbed Maya Rudolph’s shoe as she was showing it off and her and Kristen Wiig were talking to each other like Rudolph had just revealed that her dress had pockets. All women understand that feeling. This time it was just about shoes.
2. This Takes Hours. Come Casual.
Come casual. With rehearsals taking hours, most celebrities at the Oscars rehearsal were wearing jeans and t-shirts with messy hair and not a bit of makeup. (Rose Byrne in particular looked stunning that early and with a fresh face.) Because if you’re going to be rehearsing presenting an award, hit your mark on stage, or know which camera to look at, then you might as well be comfortable in loose pants and comfortable shoes.
This was true for Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison, and Bill & Lewis Pullman. There were two big exceptions: Melissa McCartney and the celebrity in the next item below. For McCartney in particular, she was done up like she was going to do interviews right after. She was wearing a flowy pantsuit, wedge heels, and a high ponytail that the gods would envy. Basically, she looked amazing.
3. Seeing Wagner Moura on the Oscars stage
The highlight of rehearsals was seeing Wagner Moura, the first Brazilian man nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, on the big screen alongside the other nominees. It’s a history-making moment no matter what. But I had to take a second and marvel at his face up there representing Brazilians everywhere because representation matters.
He also broke the mold of coming casual to Oscars rehearsal with a light yellow suit with a matching dress shirt. Moura completed the look with some thick black glasses and a nice watch. He showed up everyone during rehearsals and why not? He’s about to make history.
4. Do They Present the Actual Winners During Rehearsals?
When you’re watching the Oscars rehearsal, there’s this moment of confusion when an actual winner is announced on stage by the celebrity presenting. But the reality is that after the celebrity presenter presents the nominees, a random nominee will win. Then someone from the audience, which is primarily made of production staff, will pretend to do everything from hugging their fake loved ones on the way to the stage to giving an actual speech.
Considering the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started planning this show 8 months ago, everything second counts. Literally. I saw the screens. They have a countdown.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony broadcasts live on March 15th, on ABC at 7p.m. EST.