&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Where was Sean Penn during Oscars? Actor skipped ceremony to meet President Zelensky in Ukraine")
Sean Penn won his third Oscar on Sunday night in Los Angeles but gave the ceremony a miss. Penn won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars 2026 for his performance in One Battle After Another, but was conspicuous by his absence. Now, it seems that Penn’s whereabouts have been discovered. The actor was in Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted a photo of their meeting on Monday.
Sean Penn skips Oscars 2026
Sean Penn skipped the Oscar Awards 2026 on Sunday night. He has been mostly absent from major award shows this season. His absence didn’t come as a major surprise on Sunday night. When his name was announced as the winner in the Best Supporting Actor category, presenter Kieran Culkin said on stage, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening — or didn’t want to — so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf.”
Sean Penn in Ukraine
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that the actor was in Ukraine on Oscar night. On Monday morning, President Zelensky posted an image of Penn and himself sitting in office chairs as they appear to be in conversation. In the X post, he thanked the actor and praised his commitment to the country as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
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“Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is,” Zelensky wrote. “You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today. And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people.”
In 2023, he told Variety that he had considered melting down the two Oscars he had previously won to provide Ukraine with ammunition in its war against Russia.
"I thought, well, f***, you know? I'll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians,” the actor had famously said.
Although he didn't melt it, Sean Penn did end up giving Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy his Oscar awards. The actor said, "I told him to keep it and bring it to Malibu after all this is over and his country is safe."
Also read: An Oscar tie, a no show and first time winners: The snubs and surprises at 98th Academy Awards
Penn’s documentary on Ukraine
Penn and Aaron Kaufman’s documentary on Ukraine and Zelensky, titled Superpower, was released in 2023. It uses Penn’s perspective to tell the actor-turned-wartime-president’s atypical story. In addition to his support of Ukraine as it has fended off Russia since its 2022 invasion, he has been known for his high-profile humanitarian work in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Penn creates history at the Oscars
He may have skipped the Oscars but Penn joined an elite list of actors who have won three Oscars in their career. Penn won the best actor Oscar for the 2003 thriller Mystic River and for the Harvey Milk biopic Milk in 2009. He was also nominated in that category for Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown and I Am Sam. With this third Oscar, he tied the record for most acting wins by a male performer, joining Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan and Daniel Day-Lewis.
