Fact Check: Did Sean Penn say ‘Donate my Oscar to Timothée Chalamet’?

Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor award but skipped the show to visit Ukraine and meet Zelenskyy

PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO

A viral social media post claims that Sean Penn will donate his trophy to Timothée Chalamet (Getty Images, AP Photos)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In the wake of the 98th Academy Awards, a claim has been circulating on social media platforms that Sean Penn, who skipped the award ceremony, has said to donate his award to Timothée Chalamet, who lost the Best Actor award to Michael B Jordan. Let us analyze the rumor and fact-check the viral claim.

Claim: Sean Penn to donate his award to Timothée Chalamet

According to the post, Sean Penn said, "Donate my trophy to poor Timothée Chalamet" (@HoopsCrave/X)

According to the viral claim, Sean Penn, who skipped the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre and has won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the film ‘One Battle After Another,’ said, “Ukraine needs me more. Donate my trophy to poor Timothée Chalamet.”

The viral post has garnered more than four hundred thousand views and thousands of likes as of this writing, with many commenting under the post believing the claim to be true, while a few others questioned the authenticity of the rumor.

Fact Check: Fake, claim originated as a satire

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, talks with U.S. actor and director Sean Penn in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) — In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, talks with actor and director Sean Penn in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 2026 (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Although Penn indeed skipped the ceremony to visit Ukraine and meet its Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelensky, the claim is false as it originated from a popular parody account called Hoops Crave, which posts such unverified claims for the sake of engagement.

Penn did not say to give his award to Timothée Chalamet, who was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the film ‘Marty Supreme,’ but did not win the award.

A fact check by Grok stated, “No, that quote's satirical from the parody account—no evidence he said it. “

“Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 Oscars for 'One Battle After Another' but skipped the show to visit Ukraine and meet Zelenskyy (who thanked him as a 'true friend')."

"He's been heavily involved there since 2022: filmed the doc 'Superpower,' visited multiple times, and previously gave Zelenskyy an Oscar as a symbol of solidarity. The meme jokes about prioritizing that over Hollywood.”

Timothee Chalamet draws attention at the Oscars

Timothee Chalamet arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) — Timothee Chalamet arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Meanwhile, Chalamet garnered attention during the red carpet at the Academy Awards as he arrived in a white suit and donned black sunglasses. He complemented the look with multiple statement rings, a wristwatch, and white boots.

He competed in the category against Leonardo DiCaprio, Wagner Moura, Ethan Hawke, and Michael B Jordan, who won the award.

The actor had already received two Best Actor nominations earlier. He was also nominated for his role in the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic 'A Complete Unknown,' and for the 2017 coming-of-age romantic drama 'Call Me By Your Name.'