The team behind Golden made history at the 2026 Oscars when the song became the first K-pop track ever to win Best Original Song, but their moment in the spotlight was soured when one of their co-writers was cut off by the orchestra mid-speech, sparking an immediate backlash online.
Ejae led the acceptance speech as she and six fellow songwriters, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park, took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre on 15 March.
Visibly emotional, she opened by reflecting on just how far the moment had taken her.
“Thank you so much to the Academy for this insane award,” she said, blinking back tears.
“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.”
She went on to speak about what the win meant beyond the award itself.
“I realise the song, this award, is not about success, it’s about resilience,” she said, before thanking her family, her fiancé, her manager, the cast of Kpop Demon Hunters, Netflix and Sony Animation.
Then she turned to check whether any of her co-writers had someone to thank.
One of them stepped up to the microphone with a piece of paper in hand and began, “I would like to thank”, before the orchestra cut in, signalling the end of their allotted time.
The team was ushered offstage as the broadcast cut to a commercial break.
Sonnenblick was visibly frustrated, jumping up and down and appearing to mouth “come on” as they were moved along. His reaction made plain that the group felt the moment had been mishandled.
The internet agreed.
Reaction on X was swift and pointed. “Omg this is so rude!! They just made history give them 5 extra seconds,” wrote one user.
Another took a broader swipe at the ceremony’s priorities, “STOP CUTTING WINNERS SPEECHES WHEN WE HAVE TO SIT THROUGH LONG A** UNFUNNY BITS.”
It was an unfortunate end to what had otherwise been a landmark evening for the film.
Kpop Demon Hunters had already won Best Animated Feature earlier in the night, during which co-writer and director Maggie Kang delivered a speech that brought its own emotional weight.
“For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here,” she said.
“That means the next generations don’t have to go longing.”
Earlier in the broadcast, Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami had performed Golden live, one of only two songs to be performed during the ceremony, alongside I Lied to You from Sinners.
The performance brought the house down. The speech, through no fault of the winners, did not get the ending it deserved.
