The 98th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on March 15. Among the Oscar winners was Michael B Jordan, who took home the Best Actor trophy for his double roles in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” While at the ceremony, he shared an emotional moment with fellow nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, who received the nod for “One Battle After Another.”
InStyle posted a clip of Jordan and DiCaprio after the former won Best Actor at the Oscars. In it, they are seen in an emotional embrace as Jordan appears to be speaking, while DiCaprio smiles or laughs.
The hug between the two beloved actors lasted for some time. After that, they embraced again before posing for photos.
Fans took to the comments to highlight the wholesome moment. One person said on TikTok, “Leo knows how it feels to deserve an Oscar and not get one, so I think he’s happy Michael got one on his first nomination.”
Someone else said, “He knows how iconic Leo is, and he is showing him gratitude, stating that if it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t be where he is today. Humility in MBJ is why he will win every time.”
Michael B. Jordan Delivered A Rousing Speech at The Oscars
Coogler’s “Sinner’s” was released in theaters in April 2025, becoming an immediate box-office hit. Following its release, the film went on to score 16 nominations for the 98th Academy Awards and won four, including Jordan’s Best Actor win.
In additon to DiCaprio, Jordan was nominated against Ethan Hawke, Wagner Moura, and Timothee Chalamet.
Regarding his speech, he began by saying, “God is good,” before thanking his mother, who drove him to auditions when he was younger, and his father, who flew to the ceremony from Ghana. He also thanked the rest of his family.
After that, he said of Coogler, “I’m so honored to call you a collaborator and a friend. You gave me the opportunity and space for me to be seen, and I love you too, bro. Love you to death.”
From there, he went on to thank “the people that came before me.” Jordan named the likes of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Halle Berry. Notably, they are also Best Lead Actor or Actress winners from prior Oscar ceremonies.
The Oscar Winning Actor Is Directing a Classic
GettyAccording to Deadline, it was announced in 2024 that Jordan would direct, produce, and star in a new version of “The Thomas Crown Affair.” The movie will follow his directorial debut, which was 2023’s “Creed III.” He appeared on The Awards Circuit podcast in 2025 to discuss the film.
According to Jordan, “For me, the biggest thing was I didn’t want it to be a reboot or a remake. I really want to reimagine it. So it was a reimagination of what it is…what I liked about it was it didn’t have too much baggage. It was just enough time and gap between generations.”
“The Thomas Crown Affair” will be released in movie theaters in Spring 2027, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.
