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.
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@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:
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.
Levin, a longtime Iran hawk, was critical of Kelly's recent takes, writing the following on X:
"Poor Megyn Kelly. An emotionally unhinged, lewd, and petulant wreck. She’s completely revealed and destroyed herself. She’s everything people say she is, but much worse. Never an intelligent, thoughtful, or substantive comment. Utterly toxic."
You can see his post below.
Kelly later replied:
"Micropenis Mark thinks he has the monopoly on lewd. He tweets about me obsessively in the crudest, nastiest terms possible. Literally more than some stalkers I’ve had arrested. He doesn’t like it when women like me fight back. Bc of his micropenis."
You can see her post below.
In response to one X user who advised her to "ignore" Levin's remarks, Kelly said:
"Disagree. You can take the high road and ignore for a while but eventually after hundreds of tweets/attacks you punch the bully in the rhetorical face. And then he goes running to daddy about his Micropenis."
You can see her post below.
Kelly's remarks came after Trump sided with Levin, taking to Truth Social to criticize "jealous and angry Human Beings" who "unfairly attack" him:
"Mark Levin, a truly Great American Patriot, is somewhat under siege by other people with far less Intellect, Capability, and Love for our Country. Mark is Tough, Strong, and Brilliant, hence the nickname, 'THE GREAT ONE,' conceived by our MAGA friend, the wonderful Sean Hannity, after years of dealing with Mark in Legal, Media, and other capacities."
"Mark would often do Sean’s show, speaking as a lawyer, and Sean realized then, as did others, that he was special. Mark Levin was not looking to do Television, Radio, or anything else, but he was drafted by very smart people who understood that there are few like him. He is a true Conservative, and Intellect, far smarter than those who criticize him but, above all, he is a man of Great Wisdom and Common Sense who truly loves our Country."
"When you hear others unfairly attack Mark, remember that they are jealous and angry Human Beings, whose 'sway' is much less than the Public understands, and will, now that they know where I stand, rapidly diminish. Other than for his wonderful wife and family, Mark Levin only cares and wants one thing, GREATNESS AND SUCCESS FOR AMERICA! Those that speak ill of Mark will quickly fall by the wayside, as do the people whose ideas, policies, and footings are not sound."
"THEY ARE NOT MAGA, I AM, and MAGA includes not allowing Iran, a Sick, Demented, and Violent Terrorist Regime, to have a Nuclear Weapon to blow up the United States of America, the Middle East and, ultimately, the rest of the World. MAGA is about stopping them cold, and that is exactly what we are doing."
"GOD BLESS OUR GREAT MILITARY, WHICH I HAVE REBUILT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF MY FIRST TERM, TO ACHIEVE EVERLASTING PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
You can see Trump's post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Then Green waded into the mix, writing the following in support of Kelly:
"I wholeheartedly support Megyn Kelly telling the world that Mark Levin has a micropenis. It’s the most deserved insult and I don’t care if it’s vulgar. And Trump’s gigantic defense of Levin only enraged the base more. People are DONE. MAGA destroyed by micropenis Mark Levin."
You can see her post below.
Greene's decision to side with Kelly is not a huge surprise considering she—once a major Trump ally—recently referred to the Trump administration as "a bunch of sick f**king liars" for launching a war with Iran.
Greene argued that the administration had betrayed its campaign pledge of “No More Foreign Wars, No More Regime Change,” noting that Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and their allies promised to put “America FIRST.”
She said her generation had been “let down, abused, and used” by endless conflicts that left “thousands and thousands” dead or wounded, and warned that younger Americans were being “abandoned.” Greene skeptically invoked the justification of “freeing the Iranian people,” adding a dismissive “Please.”
Her decision to back Kelly also attracted attention.
We did not have this on our 2026 Bingo card.
A glimpse through posts by his MAGA minions shows how intertwined some (mostly Evangelical) Christians' faith is with their support of Trump.
Donald J. Trump/Facebook
Donald J. Trump/Facebook
Donald J. Trump/Facebook
Donald J. Trump/Facebook
Donald J. Trump/Facebook
Donald J. Trump/Facebook
r/DonaldTrump666/Reddit
The fact such messaging is now getting turned on Trump is amusing to many and blasphemous to others.
MAGA influencer The Patriot Voice recently shared a screenshot of a Trump post from Truth Social on X he captioned:
"Trump now sounds like a full blown warmongering PSYCHOPATH."
"Totally the OPPOSITE of the man I thought I voted for."
"It’s like he has been demonically possessed."
You can see his post here:
Trump's decision to join Israel in attacking the sovereign nation of Iran has proven unpopular among his "America First" MAGA minions.
Even Trump seems to be reconsidering the decision.
People weren't sure The Patriot Voice's post was an accusation or an excuse for their choices or Trump's.
Are they claiming the devil made them do it?
r/DonaldTrump666/Reddit
r/DonaldTrump666/Reddit
r/DonaldTrump666/Reddit
But more than a few people agreed with the assessment—from across the political spectrum.
@mbogus1107/X
Some Christian nationalists who once embraced Trump are now seeing "signs" of demonic influence in his actions.
More than a few point to Trump spiritual advisor Paula White.
Some MAGA minions pushed back against The Patriot Voice.
As for people who were never Trump fans...
@Radish656/X
@smalls2672/X
...they were definitely in their "told ya so" era.
@GrimmUnleashed/X
Whether the current unrest in MAGA lasts or Trump finds a way back into their good graces remains to be seen.
But with the 2026 midterm elections less than eight months away, his war on Iran proving unpopular, and the voter suppressing SAVE Act looking like it's doomed to fail, Trump better think of something quick.
