Kieran Culkin just won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the 97th Academy Awards over Succession co-star Jeremy Strong. During his acceptance speech, he made sure to offer praise to Strong, who was nominated for his performance as Roy Cohn in The Apprentice. Strong and Culkin are both Emmy winners for their outstanding performances on the hit HBO series Succession, which is widely considered one of the best TV drama series of the 21st century.
Culkin’s Oscar-winning performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain was the heavy favorite to win the Best Supporting Actor award following his SAG Award win last week. He also accrued numerous other wins at all of the biggest Oscar precursor ceremonies, including the BAFTA Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Follow all of Screen Rant’s Oscars coverage as the complete list of 2025 Oscars winners is revealed.
Kieran Culkin Beat Succession Co-Star Jeremy Strong To Win At Oscars 2025
Culklin Completed His 2025 Awards Season Sweep With His First Oscar Win
Culkin was such a frontrunner coming into the 2025 Oscars that made him one of the most predictable winners of the night. Meanwhile, Strong was equally nominated for the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor, losing to Culkin at all of them. Culkin’s frontrunner status emerged after he bested Denzel Washington’s performance as Macrinus at the 2025 Golden Globes, a role that Washington was surprisingly snubbed for at the 2025 Oscars after not receiving a nomination.
While Culkin was indeed cast in the supporting role of A Real Pain next to Jesse Eisenberg’s leading role, Culkin stole the show in just about every scene he was in due to his pᴀssionate and versatile performance as the free-spirited Benji Kaplan. Culkin not only bested Strong at the 2025 Oscars but he also beat out Guy Pearce in The Brutalist, Yuri Borisov in Anora, and Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown. With Saldaña’s win in the Best Supporting Actress category, both she and Culkin complete the rare awards season sweep.
How Kieran Culkin Used His Oscars Acceptance Speech To Honor Jeremy Strong
Culkin Immediately Called Out Strong’s Great Performance In The Apprentice
Culkin’s 2025 Oscars acceptance speech featured lots of nuances pertaining to his Succession co-star, referencing his and Strong’s history and Emmy wins and complimenting Strong for his work in The Apprentice. Right after being handed the Oscar from last year’s winner Robert Downey Jr., Culkin looked straight at Strong and said, “Jeremy, you’re amazing in The Apprentice. I love you –” before getting his microphone silenced due to a swear word, in true Culkin style. “I’m not supposed to single anyone out, but you were great,” he mentions as the camera shows Strong’s appreciative face on Oscars night.
