Oscars 2026 reside: Sweaty stars pressured to convey followers onto the purple carpet as temperatures soar

On Mar 15, 2026

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and KATRINA SCHOLLENBERGER, US HEAD OF LIVE NEWS

Updated: 21:16, 15 March 2026

The 98th Academy Awards will kick off tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at 7pm EST/4pm PST, as the world’s biggest movie stars descend on Hollywood to grace the red carpet.

Sinners is tipped to sweep the night with a record-breaking 16 nominations, closely followed by One Battle After Another, which sees Leonardo DiCaprio up for Best Actor.

Stars including Nicole Kidman, Pedro Pascal, Rose Byrne, Delroy Lindo and Jimmy Kimmel will present some of the evening’s biggest awards including the coveted Best Picture.

Strict security measures have been put in place for the ceremony amid concerns over a potential Iranian retaliatory strike against the US.

While officials stressed they have no direct intelligence of a specific threat, precautions are being taken. The LAPD confirmed that around 1,000 private security officers will be on duty for the show.

Follow along for the latest updates…

Oscars stars (literally) heat up on the red carpet

Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams brough an electric fan with him on the carpet as stars face soaring temperatures in Los Angeles today.

At 80 degrees, publicists are forced to use their folders as makeshift fans as celebrities take photographs under blaring hot lights.

‘It’s so hot!’ Arden Cho was overheard saying as she strutted the carpet. ‘It’s just you,’ a photographer yelled back.

Awful Timothee Chalamet’s ego is bigger than Kylie’s inflated butt… but it’s so clear what’s really going on here. I pray he loses at the Oscars: CAROLINE BULLOCK

If desperate-to-win Timothee Chalamet misses out on the best actor Oscar tonight for Marty Supreme he can only blame it on his other recent performances – appearing as himself on every red carpet and envelope opening in Tinseltown, writes Caroline Bullock.

Overexposed on the campaign trail with his unfathomable, pneumatic girlfriend Kylie Jenner, he’s been hawking the 1950s ping-pong flick harder than a Meghan Markle jam launch.

The result? The once edgy thespian appears a cynical sell out – his golden boy brand tarnished by tacky stunts and sly disses that suggest an ego bigger than Kylie’s long-rumored butt job.

Sweaty stars forced to bring fans onto the red carpet

Celebs fanned themselves as the walked the red carpet outside of Dolby Theater before the Oscars as temperatures soared to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

A heat wave kicked off in Los Angeles today and will continue through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Hunter Williams attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Woman who had years-long romance with Timothee Chalamet says he blindsided her with Kylie Jenner relationship: ‘I was in love with him’

When the news broke that Timothée Chalamet, a floppy-haired acting prodigy, was dating the world famous reality star Kylie Jenner, fans were predictably overcome.

Desperate to explain away what they believed at the time would be a fling at best, they frantically convinced themselves that the only way two vastly different worlds could possibly collide would be if the Kardashian-Jenner clan, namely matriarch Kris Jenner, had charmed their beloved Chalamet into a relationship.

Among those desperate for answers was Sarah Tena, a 32-year-old former adult entertainer who now says she was ‘blindsided’ by the new pairing.

Best Actress nominee Renate Reinsve looks glam in red dress

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Renate Reinsve attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by John Shearer/WireImage)

Marsai Martin cuts a svelte figure in a brown gown

epa12822847 Marsai Martin arrives for the 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA, 15 March 2026. EPA/JILL CONNELLY

McKenna Grace looks vibrant in pink gown

McKenna Grace at the 98th Annual Oscars held at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/WWD via Getty Images)

PwC representatives take the Oscars red carpet years after best picture blunder

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) representatives holding briefcases containing tonight’s award winners walk the red carpet.

In 2017, a PwC accountant gave the presenters the wrong envelope for the best picture category.

Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the winner for best actress, Emma Stone for La La Land, instead.

PricewaterhouseCoopers representatives hold briefcases as they arrive for the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)

Oscars gift bags for nominees are worth $350,000

This year’s stars will walk away with an Academy Award gift bag worth $350,000, Reuters reports.

The contents of the bag includes luxury vacations to pricey beauty treatments including body-sculpting liposuction and complimentary dental work from Beverly Hills Dental Arts.

Chase Infiniti poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Cole

Best actress nominee Rose Byrne dazzles on the red carpet

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Rose Byrne attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Felicity Jones shines in stunning yellow gown

Felicity Jones arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Barbie Ferreira stuns in royal blue on the Oscars carpet

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Barbie Ferreira attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)