Oscars under fire for cutting off ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ songwriters’ acceptance speech

‘Golden’, the breakout hit from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, clinched the Academy Award for best original song at Sunday’s 98th Oscars, becoming a milestone victory for K-pop on Hollywood’s biggest stage. But what should have been a celebratory moment for its team of seven credited writers quickly turned sour when the group’s acceptance speech was abruptly cut off, triggering a wave of criticism online.

EJAE, one of the film’s vocal performers and a co-writer of the track, opened the group’s remarks with an emotional tribute to the song’s message of endurance. However, when fellow songwriter Yu-Han Lee attempted to offer his own thanks, the orchestra swelled over his words, his microphone was silenced and the broadcast shifted into a commercial break.

The decision immediately sparked anger among fans and industry observers, many of whom accused the organisers of disrespecting the historic win.

Songwriters’ moment overshadowed

The victory for ‘Golden’ broke several Academy records, including becoming the first K-pop song to claim the Oscar and the first winning track with more than four credited writers. The track was penned by seven contributors – EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu-Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park – the majority of whom are South Korean.

On stage, EJAE delivered the team’s initial remarks, saying, “Thank you so much to the Academy for this insane award… Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop, but now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics. I’m so proud… the song, this award is not about success; it’s about resilience.”

She continued by thanking her family, creative partners and the filmmakers behind ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, concluding with gratitude to the production and streaming studios.

But as soon as Yu-Han Lee stepped forward to speak, the orchestral cue surged and the lights cut. Ejae urged that he be allowed to finish, but the ceremony proceeded to an advert break.

Watch the entire performance here: 

Online outcry against the Academy

Fans were quick to criticise the show’s handling of the moment. One user wrote, “No I’m sorry, I’m still raging about how they cut off that guy’s speech over the Golden Kpop Demon Hunters win that was just unkind.”

Another said, “Absolutely disrespectful of the Oscars for cutting off KPop Demon Hunters in their acceptance speech. They were given less time than every other winner and the Oscar’s owes them an apology.”

A third added, “Atrocious of the Academy to cut off the winners of Golden Kpop in sharing their winning speech fully.”

A record-setting run for ‘Golden’

The Oscar caps off a sweeping awards season for the song. Earlier this year, ‘Golden’ became the first K-pop track to win a Grammy, taking the prize for best song written for visual media. It also secured victories at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes. The track was sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. 

The song’s chart performance marked another milestone. ‘Golden’ is only the third track that spent eight or more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 to win an Oscar for best original song — and the first in more than two decades. The previous two were ‘You Light Up My Life’ (1977) and ‘Lose Yourself’ (2002–03). It is also the first pre-existing No. 1 hit to take the prize since ‘Lose Yourself’.

In addition to its music triumph, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ claimed the Oscar for best animated feature film, further solidifying its sweeping impact this awards season.

The film's directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, as well as producer Michelle LM Wong accepted the award for the Best Animated Feature Film.

Other major wins of the night

The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, also saw Jessie Buckley make history as the first Irish performer to win best actress, recognised for her portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare in ‘Hamnet’. Michael B Jordan earned best actor for his performance in ‘Sinners’, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ took home best picture.