The 2026 Oscars featured an extended In Memoriam segment and a few controversial snubs — including that of iconic French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot.
Though the 2026 Oscars featured an extended In Memoriam segment to honour artists and filmmakers who died in the past year, but a few high-profile names were noticeably missing from the televised tribute.
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Among those excluded were James Van Der Beek of Dawson’s Creek fame, and Bud Cort, star of the 1971 cult classic film Harold and Maude. It was Brigitte Bardot’s absence however that's sparked most controversy, with some speculating that the French actress’s outspoken far-right political views in her later life were the reason.
The segment this year featured a heartfelt send-off from When Harry Met Sally star Billy Crystal for actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, producer Michele Reiner. Later in the segment, Barbra Streisand sang a snippet from her 1973 film The Way We Were to honour her friend and co-star Robert Redford.
With the extra time carved out to pay tribute to particular film industry icons, Bardot’s omission was glaringly conspicuous.
Despite being excluded from the televised tribute, Bardot was still included in the In Memoriam longlist on the Academy’s website.
The live event’s decision to omit Bardot has been met with mixed reactions online. One user took to X saying, “I assume they were excluded because of their politics, but the job of the Academy is to remember them for their contributions to Cinema… I too don't agree with their politics, but I can still celebrate them for their performances on screen.” Another responded with, "Not really sad that a woman convicted several times for hate speech was excluded.”
Faux pas
Bardot is not the first French star to be left out of Hollywood's in memoriam tribute. Last year, the Academy was also criticised for not mentioning screen icon, Alain Delon, from its in memoriam tribute.
Like Bardot, he stirred controversy with his political views having once described himself as "macho" and admitted slapping women he's been in relationships with.
The actor, best known for his roles in The Leopard (1963), The Samurai (1967) and The Swimming Pool (1968), also addressed the controversy in an interview published in Le Journal du Dimanche.
"I said I slapped a woman? Yes. And I should have added that I received more slaps than I gave. In my life, I have never harassed a woman," he said.
Bardot, popularly known by her initials B.B. in France, starred in several movies throughout the 1950s and 1960s — including Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris— and cemented herself as a sex symbol of the French New Wave. She later retired from the film industry and dedicated herself to animal rights activism. She died last December at her La Madrague villa.
For some, Bardot’s place in history is tainted however by her far-right political views, including her close affiliation with members of France’s National Front party (renamed to National Rally), racist comments, and anti-immigration stance.
She was convicted five times in French courts for inciting racial hatred. In her book ‘Mon BBcédaire’, released just months before her death, Bardot wrote that right-wing politicians were the “only urgent remedy to the agony of France.”
A tribute to the French star at the Césars - France’s equivalent to the Oscars - in February was met with boos from the crowd and one cry of “racist!,” a video clip from the ceremony shows.
