Oscars 2026: Javier Bardem Voices Solidarity With Palestine While Presenting Award

Javier Bardem gave this year’s Oscars its most explicitly political moment while presenting on stage at the awards show.

The Academy Award winner was among the A-list guests at Sunday night’s ceremony, where he made headlines before the event had even begun with his outfit on the red carpet, posing for photographers while sporting a badge with “no to war” written on it in Spanish.

“I’m wearing a pin that I first used in 2003, with the Iraq war, which was an illegal war” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “We are here, 23 years after, with another illegal war, created by Trump and Netanyahu with another lie.”

He also wore an additional badge expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Later in the evening, he and Priyanka Chopra Jonas presented the award for Best International Feature Film, but before getting to his script, Javier declared “no to war, and Free Palestine” to rapturous applause from the Oscars audience.

The Spanish actor has been a vocal supporter of Palestine for some time, previously taking a stand at the Emmys last year.

At the annual TV awards, where he had been nominated for his work in the Ryan Murphy anthology series Monster,  Javier walked the red carpet wearing a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh, and also gave an impassioned interview with The Hollywood Reporter as he made his way into the ceremony.

Calling out those in the industry who are scared to speak out, Javier lamented: “I know what I’m doing, I know what it can bring, it’s OK. Me not getting jobs is absolutely [irrelevant] compared to what is going on [in Gaza]. It’s that easy.”

He added: “[People’s] silence, because they are afraid, is their support to the genocide.”

Take a look at our full round-up of must-see moments from the 2026 Oscars ceremony here.