Sean Penn vowed to never attend another awards show, calling them “dread-provoking,” during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 5, 2026. The three-time Oscar winner, 65, said large award ceremonies trigger anxiety and represent “social discomfort” for him.
Penn explained that attending such events creates pressure he can no longer accept. “It’s not just an awards show,” he told Collins, per Variety. “It would be the same if this group was going to an afterparty and one stepped into that. I’m now down, committed for life, that I won’t go anywhere to be in a designated group beyond eight people.”
The actor said he feels these ceremonies give attendees only “15 minutes per person,” which triggers his anxiety. “The two times I had gone to the Oscars, I felt relief that I’d won because so many people out there had worked really hard for that,” Penn said, referring to his Best Actor wins for “Milk” in 2008 and “Mystic River” in 2003. “There’s the politics of that stuff.”
Sean Penn vows to never attend another awards show, calls them ‘dread-provoking’
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Penn came to his decision earlier this year after attending the Golden Globes for the first time. “The best that I could ever muster was relief,” he reflected. “Knowing that I wasn’t going to do that anymore, I did one before that this year. I went to the Golden Globes; I’d never been to that before. And that’s where I decided, ‘I can’t do this.'”
The decision became public when Penn skipped the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026, where he won Best Supporting Actor for his role in “One Battle After Another.” Instead, he traveled to Ukraine to support the nation amid its ongoing war with Russia. Ukrainian Railways CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi presented him with a handmade “IronOscar” statuette created from metal taken from a railcar destroyed by a Russian missile. “I really got to enjoy the Academy Awards for the first time,” Penn said of watching the ceremony from abroad.
Penn also criticized the selfie culture at awards shows, calling the practice harmful. “People should not do selfies ever with anyone,” he said. “It’s bad for you; it’s bad for everyone. It’s a soul-sucker.”
Sources
- Page Six — Penn’s full statement to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at Tribeca Film Festival, including his reasoning for avoiding awards shows and his commitment to never attend another
- People.com — Penn’s mental health concerns regarding awards ceremonies, his previous Oscar wins, and his experience at the Golden Globes
- Variety — Penn’s interview quotes and context about his decision to skip the 2026 Oscars
