The 2026 Oscars witnessed a unique moment in its history as two films shared the award for Best Live Action Short. The Singers, a short musical comedy, and Two People Exchanging Saliva, a French language drama, both emerged as winners. Kumail Nanjiani, the presenter, surprised everyone by announcing the tie, causing astonishment among the audience and even presenter Conan O’Brien, who humorously noted the impact on Oscar betting pools.

This occurrence marked only the seventh tie in the nearly 100-year history of the Oscars. The first tie dates back to 1932 when Fredric March and Wallace Beery shared the Best Actor award despite March receiving a slightly higher number of votes. This led to a rule change to count only exact vote numbers for future ties.

Subsequent ties occurred in 1950 for Documentary Short, in 1969 for Best Actress shared by Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand under controversial circumstances, in 1987 for Best Documentary, in 1995 for Best Live Action Short, and in 2013 for Best Sound Editing.

Each tie in Oscar history has brought its own set of surprises and controversies, shaping the legacy of the prestigious awards ceremony.