Ryan Coogler Had A Hidden Nod To 'Sinners' Braided Into His Hair At The Oscars—And Fans Are Loving It

Producer, director, and screenwriter Ryan Coogler's Sinners made history at the 2026 Academy Awards by breaking the record for the most nominations for a single film, earning 16.

They ultimately won four: Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), Lead Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw), and Score (Ludwig Göransson).

Arkapaw made history as the first woman, first Black person, and the first person of color (Filipina/Afro-Creole) to ever win an Oscar for cinematography. Coogler joined Jordan Peele, who won in 2018, as the only Black screenwriters to ever win an Academy Award in the 98 ceremonies to date.

Michael B. Jordan is the sixth Black man in history to win lead actor, joining Sidney Poitier (1964), Denzel Washington (2002), Jamie Foxx (2005), Forest Whitaker (2007), and Will Smith (2022). While sixth seems like a minor accomplishment, it's writ large when phrased as one of six out of 98 total lead actor awards given to 87 men, with only one going to a Black man in the 1900s.

Sinners drew critical and audience acclaim as a distinctly American retelling of vampire lore, steeped in the Black, Indigenous, and immigrant experience of the prohibition-era South of the United States.

Coogler chose to again celebrate Black culture by wearing a protective hairstyle, cornrows, to the Academy Awards on Sunday.

Black protective hairstyles are techniques used for millennia by people of African descent that tuck the ends of type 3-4 hair away to minimize manipulation, reduce breakage, and protect natural hair from environmental damage. Common styles include braids, twists, locks, and knots which promote health while allowing for versatility and growth.

Pervasive discrimination by schools and workplaces against protective hairstyles and natural Black hair eventually led the United States to pass the CROWN Act.

Eagle-eyed viewers noted Coogler's braiding artist, Berkeley, California-based Tyzanna B, added a tribute to Sinners in his hair.

‪@diflaversham/Bluesky

‪@missmajestik/Bluesky

Coogler has mentioned his hairstylist in past interviews, and the stylist herself shared her joy over her work being featured in The Hollywood Reporter.

People loved both the nod to Black culture and Sinners being seen on the Oscars' red carpet and stage.

You can watch Coogler's Oscar acceptance speech here:

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Coogler is known for crafting culturally rich films that blend history, music, and social commentary into an immersive experience—and Sinners was no exception.

Set in the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow era, when sundown towns and the Ku Klux Klan were still openly prevalent, authenticity was important to Coogler.

He featured the original inhabitants of the region, the Chahta Okla (Choctaw people) speaking their own language—Chahta Anumpa (Choctaw)—in the opening moments of the film. Members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians acted as both consultants and performers.

The film touched on the experiences of Chinese and Irish immigrants, Black share croppers only one or two generations removed from slavery, and the Afro-Indigenous and Creoles all living under the heel and threat of the more established White settlers/colonizers who considered only themselves "real Americans."

The themes resonated with modern audiences.

Coogler's other film contributions (screenwriting, directing, and/or producing) include Fruitvale Station, Creed 1-3, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Judas and the Black Messiah.