Every celebrity who skipped SAG Awards 2026 - here are their reasons why
Kristen Bell hosted this year's festivities, which were live-streamed on Netflix
The SAG's 2026 Actor Awards finally commenced over the weekend after much anticipation, but a number of yearly regulars were noticeably absent from the A-list festivities.
Hosted by Nobody Wants This actress Kristen Bell on Sunday (1 Mar), the annual celebration welcomed some of the biggest names in film and television down to Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall.
Vintage vampire-horror Sinners won the top prize on the night, with its lead Michael B. Jordan walking away with the Best Male Actor accolade.
Also receiving further critical recognition were Jessie Buckley for her lead actress role in Hamnet, Sean Penn for his supporting part in One Battle After Another, and the late, great Catherine O'Hara, who was posthumously awarded the Best Actress in a TV Comedy for her portrayal of Patty Leigh in the satirical hit series, The Studio.
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This weekend's celebration - which was live-streamed to Netflix - also saw Harrison Ford bestowed the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award.
In his acceptance speech, the Indiana Jones frontman, 83, told attendees: "I feel incredibly grateful for this kind of attention, but to be clear, I also am quite humbled. I’m in a room with actors, many of whom are here because they’ve been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for being alive.
Ford went on to joke: "That said, it’s a little weird to be getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the half-point of my career. It’s a little early, isn’t it? I’m still a working actor."
When Netflix's camera panned to see the audience's amused reaction to Ford's remarks, however, some viewers claim they were drawn to how empty the arena appeared to be of some SAG Award regulars.
And even more bizarre is that a number of these stars had actually been nominated ahead of this year's ceremony.
Martin Short:
Amongst those missing was Martin Short, who'd been nominated in the Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series category for his Only Murders in the Building performance, and subsequently snubbed by winner Seth Rogan for The Studio.
Short's absence comes following the death of his 42-year-old daughter, Katherine, who took her own life days prior to the award show.
Meryl Streep:
His Only Murders In The Building co-star, Meryl Streep, had also been put up for an award in the same category as O'Hara - who passed away in January - but failed to appear at this weekend's celebration.
Streep's agent had previously confirmed in a statement to Us Weekly, however, that she had prior commitments.
Selena Gomez:
Whilst she wasn't nominated specifically this year, SAG Awards regular and yet another Only Murders In The Building actress, Selena Gomez, was also nowhere to be seen this weekend.
Though her representatives failed to provide an explanation for her absence, the 33-year-old uploaded a bathrobe selfie on the night in question, hinting that she may have simply been in need of some downtime following a busy awards season.
Ariana Grande:
One Disney Channel alum that was up for an award this year, but still skipped out on the festivities, was Ariana Grande. She'd received a nomination for her role as 'Glinda the Good' in Wicked, but lost out in the Best Supporting Female category to Weapons actress Amy Madigan.
Though her team haven't officially confirmed it, Grande is said to have been preoccupied with rehearsals for her upcoming Eternal Sunshine tour, which kicks off in June.
Leonardo DiCaprio:
Mr Awards himself, Leonardo DiCaprio, was also unexpectedly absent from this year's Actor Awards, despite being put up for Best Male Actor for his lead role alongside Penn in the rib-tickling action-thriller, One Battle After Another.
According to PEOPLE, who chatted to the 51-year-old's team, he was forced to miss the 2026 ceremony due to production issues. As a reminder, DiCaprio is currently filming Martin Scorsese's What Happens at Night in Europe.
As we say, the award ended up going to Michael B. Jordan anyway, so no harm done.
Sean Penn:
Penn wasn't even in attendance to collect the award he did win for One Battle After Another.
For a reason not yet known, his and DiCaprio's co-star Allison Janney accepted his Supporting Actor accolade in his absence.
Owen Cooper:
Rising star Owen Cooper was also nowhere to be seen this weekend, despite being nominated for Best Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series category for his role in hard-hitting drama, Adolescence.
The youngster, 16, actually went on to be announced as this year's winner, only for presenter Damson Idris to accept the accolade in his absence.
We can let Cooper off this time, though - he's already won a Critics Choice, a Golden Globe, an NTA and a Primetime Emmy this year alone.
He also shared an Instagram post later on, announcing his win with a stream of red hearts.
Sarah Snook:
Also failing to appear despite receiving a nomination was Sarah Snook.
She'd been put up for Best Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for the lead role in the heart-stopping thriller, All Her Fault, but sadly lost out to winner, Michelle Williams, who walked away with the grand prize for her role in Dying For Sex.
Bowen Yang:
Like Gomez, though he wasn't up for a specific accolade this year, actor and funnyman Bowen Yang was noticeably absent from the red carpet this weekend.
As explained during the show by comedian Katherine Hahn, however, the Saturday Night Live star had very much intended to attend the star-studded soiree, but ended up stranded in Antarctica due to bad weather.
"First of all, I wasn't even supposed to be presenting this award. Right now, I am Bowen Yang. Because he is casually stuck in Antarctica," Hahn joked before an image of Yang, 35, appeared on screen, showing him enduring some very snowy surroundings.
"Yeah, no, that's for real," Hahn added.
Dax Shepard:
Last but not least on the list of missing celebs is Dax Shepard.
No, the Parenthood actor wasn't up for any awards, but he is the other-half of the presenter for the night, Bell.
Prior to the celebration, Shepard - who shares two daughters with the Frozen actress - hinted on Instagram that he was scheduled to undergo a colonoscopy the morning of the awards.
The following morning, however, he gave a special shout-out to his wife, sharing a super-glam snap of her on the red carpet on social media.
“CAUTION: DO NOT watch if you’re allergic to effortless charm, tasty wit, velvety vocals, world-class mimicry, high-in-tight buns, timeless beauty or Disney-level Adorability," Shepard captioned the sweet photo. "Also it may be 'too much' for those with heart conditions.
"For everyone else, buckle the f–k up!!!"
Topics: SAG Awards, Celebrity, US News, Entertainment, TV And Film, UK News
Rhianna Benson