List of very strict rules Oscars seat fillers have to follow

The 98th Academy Awards are well underway, with the best of Hollywood's entertainment legends all gathered together in one room.

As usual, the Oscars are being held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles tonight (15 March).

American TV show host and comedian Conan O'Brien, 62, is hosting the awards for his second consecutive year, after getting a slew of good reviews the first time around.

And there are some huge names in the audience - Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, and Emma Stone, to name just a few.

But did you know that a lot of the seats aren't filled with celebrities at all, but seat fillers - a lucky group of everyday people who spend the evening sitting in the chairs of A-listers.

They're supposed to remain anonymous, and their job is simple: to sit and enjoy the ceremony so that when TV cameras show audience shots, there are no empty chairs.

However, they do have to follow a strict set of rules.

As an Oscars seat filler, you could find yourself rubbing shoulders with A-listers (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

They have to pay for their own travel and accommodation

While you might be spending the evening with billionaires, unfortunately, you still have to pay for your own travel and accommodation, as per PEOPLE Magazine.

The publication spoke with Arjun Manjunath, 22, from Pittsburgh, who got to be a seat filler at the Grammy Awards in February and shared the rules you might not realise are in place for a major awards show.

The influencer explained that because the job is entirely voluntary, you don't get paid to do it, which means nothing gets expensed either.

They can't eat or drink during the ceremony

You also might find your stomach rumbling during the evening, as apparently, any food or drink is off the cards.

Manjunath claims that he wasn't allowed to eat any food or drink anything, aside from water.

And ceremonies like the Grammys and Oscars are long, so this is a tough ask.

He told the outlet: "They give you a warning. They’re like, ‘Load up on breakfast.’"

Allegedly, this was especially true for those seat fillers who travel down to the floor of the arena, where some of the biggest celebrity names are seated.

"They tell you that it’s very strict that you’re not allowed to eat any of the food, anything that’s on the table," he added.

Awards show roles come with a strict set of requirements (Jay L. Clendenin /Getty Images)

They can't have their phones with them during the ceremony

If you're now thinking you want to be a seat filler so you can share selfies with the biggest names in Hollywood, sadly, you're going to be disappointed.

As per the social media star, you're actually not allowed to have your phone on you during the ceremony, which means no filming or photos.

Manjunath told PEOPLE that when the seat fillers for the Grammys arrived at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the afternoon ahead of the ceremony, they had to give up their phones and were told they wouldn't be getting them back until it was over.

They cannot interact with celebrities unless the celebrity initiates it

Again, if you had dreams of chatting with Jacob Elordi or Demi Moore, sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but it's very unlikely.

The influencer explained that 'you can't talk to them unless they talk to you first - only organic interactions,' adding that 'it was very dystopian. Very Hunger Games vibes'.

You can't speak to celebs unless they initiate a conversation with you (Robert Gauthier/Getty Images)

There's a strict dress code

And finally, as you can imagine, there's a very strict dress code that seat fillers must adhere to.

The influencer said, "They were very, very specific in instructions. They’re like, 'We’ve had this happen in the past - please don’t do this.'"

He explained that for women at the Grammys, the dress code was dresses that are 'formal but not overdone' in dark colors or a formal pantsuit.

And as for men, they had to wear 'a black or dark blue suit or tuxedo with a jacket and tie'.

2026 Oscars nominees and winners

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another - WINNER
• Ryan Coogler - Sinners
• Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
• Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
• Chloé Zhao - Hamnet

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• One Battle After Another - WINNER
• Train Dreams

Best Original Screenplay

• Blue Moon
• It Was Just an Accident
• Marty Supreme
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners - WINNER

Best Original Song

• 'Dear Me' - Diane Warren: Relentless
• 'Golden' - KPop Demon Hunters - WINNER
• 'I Lied to You' - Sinners
• 'Sweet Dreams of Joy' - Viva Verdi!
• 'Train Dreams' - Train Dreams

Best Original Score

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners - WINNER

Best International Feature

• It Was Just an Accident
• Sentimental Value - WINNER
• Sirât
• The Secret Agent
• The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Animated Feature

• Arco
• Elio
• KPop Demon Hunters - WINNER
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• Zootopia 2

Best Documentary Feature

• Come See Me in the Good Light
• Cutting Through the Rocks
• Mr. Nobody Against Putin - WINNER
• The Alabama Solution
• The Perfect Neighbor

Best Costume Design

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Frankenstein - WINNER
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners

Best Make-up and Hairstyling

• Frankenstein - WINNER
• Kokuho
• Sinners
• The Smashing Machine
• The Ugly Stepsister

Best Production Design

• Frankenstein - WINNER
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners

Best Sound

• Frankenstein
• F1 - WINNER
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Sirât

Best Film Editing

• F1
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another - WINNER
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Best Cinematography

• Frankenstein
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners - WINNER
• Train Dreams

Best Visual Effects

• Avatar: Fire and Ash - WINNER
• F1
• Jurassic World Rebirth
• Sinners
• The Lost Bus

Best Live Action Short

• A Friend of Dorothy
• Butcher's Stain
• Jane Austen's Period Drama
• The Singers - WINNER
• Two People Exchanging Saliva - WINNER

Best Animated Short

• Butterfly
• Forevergreen
• Retirement Plan
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls - WINNER
• The Three Sisters

Best Documentary Short

• All the Empty Rooms - WINNER
• Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
• Children No More: Were and Are Gone
• The Devil Is Busy
• Perfectly a Strangeness

Best Casting

• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another - WINNER
• Sinners
• The Secret Agent

Best Picture

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• F1
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another - WINNER
• The Secret Agent
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners
• Train Dreams

Best Actor

• Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme
• Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
• Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
• Michael B Jordan - Sinners - WINNER
• Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent

Best Actress

• Jessie Buckley - Hamnet - WINNER
• Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
• Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
• Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
• Emma Stone - Bugonia

Best Supporting Actress

• Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
• Amy Madigan - Weapons - WINNER
• Wunmi Mosaku - Sinners
• Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor

• Benicio del Toro - One Battle After Another
• Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
• Delroy Lindo - Sinners
• Sean Penn - One Battle After Another - WINNER

Stellan Skarsgård - Sentimental Value