Penn wasn’t in attendance despite being honored for his work in “One Battle After Another.”

Why wasn’t Sean Penn at the Oscars? Report reveals where star was when he won Best Supporting Actor

Penn wasn't in attendance despite being honored for his work in "One Battle After Another."

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 15, 2026 10:08 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Kieran Culkin accepts Sean Penn's Best Supporting Actor Oscar at 2026 Academy Awards. Credit:

Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty; Warner Bros.

Sean Penn found his latest Oscar-winning role in *One Battle After Another*, but the actor was missing when it came time to collect his third statuette at Sunday night's Academy Awards.

"Sean Penn couldn't be here this evening, or didn't want to, so I'll be accepting the award on his behalf," last year's Best Supporting Actor winner, Kieran Culkin, said upon taking the statuette for his peer.

So where was Penn, if not on hand to receive his monumental third award on Hollywood's biggest night? A new report says that the 65-year-old made his way to Europe instead of California for the heavily publicized ceremony.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn at the 2026 Golden Globes.

Stewart Cook/CBS via Getty

Penn's plan "was to visit Ukraine, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter," per the *New York Times* in a piece published during the 2026 Oscars.

Though he steamrolled the Best Supporting Actor circuit, Penn was not in attendance at many precursor ceremonies, including the BAFTAs and SAG's Actor Awards. He was, however, at the Golden Globes in January, where he was spotted smoking inside the building.

A representative for Penn declined to comment when reached by* .*

Oscars host Conan O'Brien calls out show for cutting off winner's speech

Anna Wintour playfully shades Anne Hathaway on Oscars stage: 'Thank you, Emily'

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Penn's reported journey to Ukraine instead of the Oscars would mark the latest in his activism in the region.

In 2023, Penn released the documentary *Superpower*, which he filmed in the region with co-director Aaron Kaufman. The movie chronicles Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy's rise to prominence and subsequently leading his country through Russia's ongoing military assault.

Sean Penn in 'One Battle After Another'.

Outside of his activism, Penn's body of work as an actor now sits among other Hollywood elites. He's one of only a handful of stars who've won three Oscars for acting, such as Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Ingrid Bergman.

Penn's prior Oscar victories for acting came for performances in *Mystic River* and *Milk*. He has six total nominations to his name, with an additional trio of nods for his work in *Dead Man Walking*, *I Am Sam*, and *Sweet and Lowdown*.

See the full list of 2026 Oscar winners*.*

- Awards Shows & Events

- Academy Awards

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Academy”