Kimberly Guilfoyle at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
Kimberly Guilfoyle has become a prominent figure within the Republican Party.
She began dating Donald Trump Jr. in 2018, but they split in 2024.
Her outfits at public events have included bold, business-casual looks and peplum-style dresses.
One of the most public-facing female members of the Republican Party is Kimberly Guilfoyle, the ex-girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., former Fox News host, and President Donald Trump's pick for ambassador to Greece.
Guilfoyle, who dated the president's eldest child from 2018 to 2024, has had some ups and downs in her style journey. In fact, People even reported in December 2024 that her style was an issue between father and son.
Around the same time as their breakup became public news, Guilfoyle was nominated to be the next ambassador to Greece, with the president calling her "a close friend and ally" in a Truth Social post.
Guilfoyle did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
At a March 2018 event, Guilfoyle kept it simple with a robin's egg shift dress.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at a March 2018 event.
Manny Carabel/FilmMagic/Getty Images
The vibrant shade of this knee-length, short-sleeved dress was a strong choice for Guilfoyle, who accessorized with snakeskin pumps.
One month later, Guilfoyle started dating Trump Jr., Page Six reported. They went Instagram official in June, and she joined him at the Montana Republican Convention that same month.
Her navy dress at a 2018 movie premiere could've been great if she'd lost the belt.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at a 2018 movie premiere.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Guilfoyle loves a knee-length dress, and while this one was largely elegant, the belt made it seem old-fashioned. The look would've been more streamlined without it.
Her red heels also blended with the red carpet.
The polka-dot high-neck blouse wasn't a good match with the low-rise red trousers.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at an event in Bridgehampton, New York.
Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images
This look, which she wore to an event in the Hamptons in May 2018, had too much going on.
The blouse clashed with the trousers, which in turn clashed with the geometric-patterned heels.
Her necklace, which appears to feature a chili-pepper pendant, also didn't gel with the rest of the look.
There was also too much going on with this dress, which she wore for one of her first public appearances with Donald Trump, Jr.
Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump, Jr. in 2018.
Shannon Finney/Getty Images
A slightly less plunging neckline or a subtler mesh overlay would've made this look more cohesive.
Instead, the illusion of a vest and skirt made it look like menswear or officewear, which, in Guilfoyle's defense, Gen Z now loves.
While it was refreshing to see Guilfoyle stepping away from her typical closed-toe pumps, it's a fashion faux pas to wear pantyhose with open-toed shoes.
This appearance in August 2018 — to attend the Washington, DC, premiere of political documentary "Death of a Nation" — was one of Guilfoyle and Trump's first public appearances as a couple.
The furry part of this dress was confusing.
Matt Rich and Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2018.
Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
In August 2018, Guilfoyle attended the annual summer party for New York's Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where she was pictured with publicist Matt Rich.
She wore a red dress for the event, but the look would've been much better without the fur across the chest — the red lace overlay was enough of a statement.
The black-and-white dress she wore in 2019 is one of Guilfoyle's best looks.
Chiara Boni and Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2019.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
For a New York Fashion Week event for designer Chiara Boni (pictured left) in 2019, Guilfoyle wore one of Boni's designs.
Guilfoyle accessorized with long diamond earrings and later added a black cape to her look.
The outfit could've been improved with black pumps — white heels are a tricky thing to pull off — although Guilfoyle's Valentino heels did complement the white in her dress.
She had an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction at a Fashion Week event in 2019.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at a 2019 fashion show.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
You might not be able to tell, but this Zang Toi dress Guilfoyle wore to the designer's fashion show in 2019 was almost completely see-through underneath bright lights and flashing cameras.
If it weren't for that unfortunate design flaw, it wouldn't be too bad — though we could do without the butterfly embellishments on the shoulder.
It happens to the best of us, but this is a good reminder: always do a flash test before going to an event with lots of cameras.
Guilfoyle took part in the color-blocking trend during 2019 New York Fashion Week.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at a 2019 Fashion Week event.
JP Yim/Getty Images for Mira Zwillinger
The slit in her orange skirt is subtle, and it pairs well with the yellow ruffled blouse. While the look could've been elevated with different shoes — why leopard-print heels? — this is a solid look.
Guilfoyle wore a bright-red dress to the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
The dress, which has an orange undertone, was a striking look for Guilfoyle. The only improvement to the look could've been a simple necklace.
One of Guilfoyle's favorite styles is a peplum dress, and she selected a mint-green version for a 2020 Trump rally.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at a 2020 Trump Rally in Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
While another striking color to help Guilfoyle stand out on stage, the shade of green made this dress look dated.
That was also the case for the business-casual peplum, which hasn't been on trend in years — though some designers are trying their hardest to bring it back.
Guilfoyle needs to leave the peplum behind.
Kimberly Guilfoyle in April 2022.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Guilfoyle wore this dress to CPAC in February 2022 and again in April for a meeting with the House Select Committee investigating the attack on January 6.
While navy blue works better with this peplum style, we can't ignore the crystal-encrusted heels, which feel out-of-place for the setting.
Guilfoyle wore this patterned minidress in 2024, 10 years after it was in style.
Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2024.
Justin E Palmer/GC Images
This geometric minidress by Balmain wouldn't have been out of place in season one of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," but it doesn't fare as well in London in 2024, where she was spotted with Donald Trump, Jr.
Once again, we would've preferred to see her pair this with black heels, not bright-white ones.
The red dress with a capelet she wore to the 2024 Republican National Convention is on trend.
Kimberly Guilfoyle at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
This Badgley Mischka dress is an understated, elegant look from Guilfoyle.
She also didn't over-accessorize, choosing just a pair of chunky silver earrings.
Windey is part of a growing list of LGBTQ+ members of Bachelor Nation.
Colton Underwood, Jasmine Goode, and Becca Tilley have identified as part of the queer community.
Gabby Windey, a former "Bachelorette" lead, announced on Wednesday that she and her partner, Robby Hoffman, got married in Las Vegas earlier in the year.
Windey came out as queer in August 2023 during an appearance on "The View." Since then, she's been dating Hoffman, a comedian — and in March 2025, they revealed to Cosmopolitan that they'd eloped in Vegas after evacuating from the Los Angeles fires.
After starring on "The Bachelorette," Windey has become a breakout star of reality TV. She was the runner-up of season 31 of "Dancing with the Stars" and made it to the finale of the third season of "The Traitors." She also has her own podcast, "Long Winded with Gabby Windey."
Windey is part of a growing community of LGBTQ+ people who have appeared on "The Bachelor" and its related spinoffs around the world.
Here's who else has identified as LGBTQ+ from "The Bachelor."
Gabby Windey
Robby Hoffman and Gabby Windey in 2023.
Greg Doherty/Getty Images
Windey appeared first on Clayton Echard's season of "The Bachelor" before becoming the "Bachelorette" herself alongside Rachel Recchia in 2022. After breaking off her engagement to Erich Schwer, Windey was publicly single until August 2023.
On August 2, 2023, the "Dancing with the Stars" star posted a carousel of photos on Instagram with Hoffman, along with the caption, "Told you I'm a girls girl." On the same day, she appeared on "The View" to talk about her new relationship.
"I don't want to live and not be living my full truth," she said on the show. "I don't want to do that to myself. I don't want to do it to my girlfriend."
In March 2025, Windey and Hoffman revealed to Cosmopolitan that they had gotten married in Las Vegas while they were evacuating from the LA wildfires. "Everything just fell into place so naturally. It felt so serendipitous and so precious and so meant to be," said Windey.
Colton Underwood
Jordan C. Brown and Colton Underwood in 2022.
Charles Sykes/Bravo/Getty Images
Underwood originally appeared on Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" in May 2018, before moving to "Bachelor in Paradise" and finally to his own season of "The Bachelor" in January 2019. At the time, he was marketed as the "virgin Bachelor."
He dated Cassie Randolph for around a year before the two split, with Randolph filing for a restraining order against Underwood in September 2020, People reported. The outlet reported that the restraining order was dropped that November.
Months later, in April 2021, Underwood came out as gay during an interview on "Good Morning America."
"I'm emotional, but I'm emotional in such a good, happy, positive way," Underwood told "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts. "I'm the happiest and healthiest that I've ever been in my life, and that means the world to me."
It made him the first former lead to be part of the LGBTQ+ community and the first gay man involved with the show. His journey was documented on the Netflix series "Coming Out Colton."
In May 2023, Underwood married political strategist Jordan C. Brown, per People. Their son Bishop was born via surrogate in September 2024.
Becca Tilley
Hayley Kiyoko and Becca Tilley in 2022.
Christopher Polk/Variety/Getty Images
Tilley, who appeared on both Chris Soules' and Ben Higgins' seasons of "The Bachelor" in 2015 and 2016, respectively, kept her relationship status a secret for years.
In late 2018, she revealed she was dating someone on her podcast, "Scrubbing In," though she kept the details private.
Then, on May 20, 2022, Tilley starred in the music video for Hayley Kiyoko's song, "For the Girls," which spoofed "The Bachelorette." The same day, Tilley went public with the relationship, posting a video to Instagram.
"I didn't even give people a chance to be more open-minded than I thought. People were just rooting for me to find love. They just were rooting for my happiness," Tilley said, speaking of her fans to The Cut in July 2022.
"These people were also rooting for me to get engaged in eight weeks," she joked. "They may not have the best perspective in all cases."
Kaitlyn Bristowe
Kaitlyn Bristowe in 2025.
Christopher Polk/Penske Media/Getty Images
Bristowe, who first appeared on Chris Soules' season of "The Bachelor" in 2015 before starring in her own season of "The Bachelorette" that year, had come out as bisexual to her friends and family before appearing on reality TV.
On a 2023 episode of the "Out & About" podcast, Bristowe told the hosts she had shared her sexuality with the show's psychologist during the casting process, who recommended she not share her true orientation.
"She was like, 'Don't tell [producers] that you're into women, they might spin it,"' Bristowe said.
Jasmine Goode
Jasmine Goode in 2019.
Dana Pleasant/Getty Images for boohoo.com
Goode, who originally appeared on Nick Viall's season of "The Bachelor" in January 2017, appears to have been dating blogger Melissa Marie since at least 2021.
Marie has called Goode "the woman who stole my heart" in an Instagram post celebrating the "Bachelor" star's birthday in June 2023. Goode also cheered her partner on as she appeared on "Squid Game: The Challenge."
Marie and Goode have since appeared together on the "Vanderpump Rules" spinoff "The Valley" — and the two got engaged in November 2024, which means that it might be seen in season two.
Elizabeth Corrigan
Elizabeth Corrigan.
Ricky Middlesworth/ABC/Getty Images
To celebrate Pride Month in June 2022, Corrigan, who appeared on Clayton Echard's season of "The Bachelor" earlier that year, wrote about her sexuality in an Instagram post.
"It's important to me today to share with you all that I am queer. More specifically I am, always have been, and always will be bisexual," she wrote in the caption of her post.
Brooke Blurton
Brooke Blurton in 2022.
Sam Tabone/Getty Images for NGV
Blurton made "Bachelorette" history as the first bisexual lead in 2021 — her season featured men and women for the first time.
Blurton, who was also the first Indigenous lead in "Bachelorette Australia's" history, appeared on both "The Bachelor" and "Bachelor in Paradise" in Australia in 2019. On camera, she came out to Nick, a fellow contestant on "Paradise," and shared that she had been in previous relationships with women.
At the time, the show's casting call asked for both men and women to apply, a first for the entire franchise worldwide.
At the end of her season of "The Bachelorette," which concluded in November 2021, Blurton ended up choosing to date Darvid Garayeli.
However, in January 2022, Garayeli and Blurton confirmed on their respective Instagram stories that they had broken up, as Yahoo! Lifestyle reported at the time.
Blurton is now dating an actor, Mia Pimentel.
Demi Burnett
Demi Burnett in 2022.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Burnett was introduced to audiences during Colton Underwood's season in January 2019, becoming one of the most popular people from the franchise.
When she went on "Paradise" in August 2019, she initially began exploring a relationship with Derek Peth, before admitting she had been dating someone before the show who she was still interested in — a woman named Kristian Haggerty.
Haggerty eventually joined the cast of "Paradise" and the two remained together for the rest of the season, becoming the first same-sex couple in the show's history.
Burnett proposed at the end of the season, but they broke up a few months later in October 2019, confirming the end of their relationship with a statement on Instagram.
Alexa Caves
Alexa Caves.
ABC
Caves appeared on Weber's season of "The Bachelor" in January 2020. After she was eliminated, she took to her Instagram stories to address her sexuality that month, Yahoo! reported.
"The amount of people that ask me about my sexuality in my DM's is crazy. Lol I've been getting it since the first episode," she wrote at the time. "I'm fluid. I've been with women and I've been with men. I'm open-minded. To me, this really isn't a big deal," she continued. "I just do my thang."
Jaimi King
Jaimi King in 2019.
Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
King was a contestant on Nick Viall's season in January 2017, and she was open about her bisexuality from the moment she appeared on the show — she was the first woman in "Bachelor" history to be openly bisexual.
She reappeared on "Paradise" that summer and made it clear she was open to pursuing relationships with men or women.
When asked if she thought the show was too conservative in a 2017 interview with Refinery29, King said, "I guess I would say they're less conservative. I wouldn't say they cared about my sexuality like that. They probably wanted to take advantage of it. Like, 'Hey, we should probably highlight this because we do want to move in a more progressive way.'"
She's now married to graphic designer Geoff Parrish.
Abbie Chatfield
Abbie Chatfield in 2023.
Don Arnold/WireImage/Getty Images
Chatfield, of the Australian "Bachelor," has spoken about her evolving sexuality on her podcast, "It's A Lot with Abbie Chatfield."
She appeared on Matt Agnew's season of the Australian "Bachelor" back in July 2019 and then on Australia's "Bachelor in Paradise."
In the caption of an Instagram post in which she shared a clip from an episode of her podcast in April 2023, she wrote that she wondered whether she was "a bisexual with ADHD that needs extra stimulus or just a lesbian who has compulsory heterosexual tendencies," after sharing that she was thinking about women while she was with men.
Kristian Haggerty
Kristian Haggerty in 2019.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Although Haggerty hadn't been on a "Bachelor" show before, when she showed up and joined the cast of "Bachelor in Paradise" in the summer of 2019 to get back together with Demi Burnett, she became a member of "Bachelor Nation."
The two got engaged at the end of the season but broke up a few months later, in October, announcing their split in a joint statement on Instagram.
Haggerty is now engaged to influencer/lifestyle blogger Taylor Blake, according to her Instagram.
Minh Thu
Minh Thu on "The Bachelor."
The Bachelor Vietnam
Thu's emotional declaration of love for her fellow contestant, Truc Nhu, instead of the lead of "The Bachelor: Vietnam," went viral in 2018, as BuzzFeed News reported at the time.
On the show, Thu confessed that she had fallen in love with someone — just not the Bachelor — and then asked Nhu to leave with her.
While Nhu decided to stay, the two began dating once Nhu was eliminated from the show.
"Going the traditional way and having a husband and child doesn't necessarily mean that you will find happiness," Thu told BuzzFeed News in October 2018.
Truc Nhu
Truc Nhu.
The Bachelor Vietnam
When Nhu was eliminated from the show, the two started dating.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News in October 2018, Nhu said she missed Thu immediately.
"The moment when Minh Thu left and I stayed behind, I had a lot of longing. I had a lot of memories of our time together," she said.
It's unclear whether the two are still dating, but, in April 2019, they appeared to be together, as The Pink News reported they had attended Hanoi Pride together.
Megan Marx
Megan Marx.
Hanna Lassen/WireImage/Getty Images
Marx met Tiffany Scanlon in July 2016 while they were competing on Richie Strahan's season of "The Bachelor: Australia." Their close friendship sparked speculation at the time, as Elle Australia reported.
Marx seemingly confirmed their relationship on Instagram in October 2016.
"From that first cocktail party, it was like this instant calibration between souls, as if we had known each other once before. Friendship ripened into something bolder," she wrote in the caption of her post, which she signed off with: "Happy birthday Tiffany. I love you."
However, the relationship didn't last and they broke up in March 2017, according to a since-deleted Instagram comment, The Daily Mail reported. She confirmed the news during an interview with TheFIX later that month.
In January 2021, Marx spoke about the breakup on the "So Dramatic" podcast.
"Basically we ended up really not liking each other as human beings. It was just a disaster," she said on the podcast, according to the Australian outlet Now to Love. "There was all this pressure. The biggest thing was letting down the LGBTIQ community."
Tiffany Scanlon
Tiffany Scanlon.
Edward Herrera/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
Scanlon hasn't really spoken much about their breakup, though she did write about it on her blog in November 2017.
"I was finding it more and more difficult to enjoy myself now that we were more recognizable to the public," she wrote. "Strangers grabbing at us for pictures, not even introducing themselves or talking to us, men asking for threesomes, people accusing us of faking our relationship."
She later joined the cast of "The Bachelor: Winter Games in 2018, but didn't make any connections.
As of 2024, Scanlon doesn't appear to have made her relationship status public.
Jennifer Lopez was snubbed for her performance in "Hustlers."
STX Entertainment
There are 21 Oscar categories for feature-length films, which means that 90 films can be recognized.
However, some outstanding films were completely ignored by the academy.
Stanley Kubrick's last film, "Eyes Wide Shut," is regarded as a classic, but it was snubbed in 2000.
Each year, the Academy Awards recognize the best films of the year — at least, that's what's supposed to happen.
However, some quality films fail to receive any nominations, even if they've been generating buzz all year, star academy favorites, or tell stories the academy typically loves.
This year, for example, the tennis romantic drama "Challengers" — a critical and box-office hit — was snubbed, even though fans assumed, at the very least, it would be recognized in best original score or best original song.
Ahead of the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, here are some movies you'd be surprised to learn weren't nominated for a single Oscar.
"Zodiac" (2007)
Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal in "Zodiac."
Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures
"Zodiac," directed by David Fincher, is about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer in '70s San Francisco.
The academy typically loves to reward the true-crime genre (see: "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Monster," and "Goodfellas"), but it completely overlooked this film, which stars Oscar favorites Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, and was highly regarded by critics upon its release.
If anything, Fincher, his cinematographer Harris Savides, and his production designer Donald Burt deserved nominations, if not wins.
"Much Ado About Nothing" (1993)
Denzel Washington in "Much Ado About Nothing."
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
Kenneth Branagh wrote, directed, and starred in this Shakespeare adaptation in 1993 — Branagh had previously been nominated for his direction and acting for a different Shakespeare adaptation, "Henry V."
However, the academy ignored this film, even though Branagh, and his costars Emma Thompson and Denzel Washington — who had each won an acting Oscar by 1993 — easily could've been nominated.
"Widows" (2018)
Viola Davis in "Widows."
Fox
"Widows" is a heist thriller starring major talents including Viola Davis — who'd won the best supporting actress Oscar the year before for "Fences" — Cynthia Erivo, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Michelle Rodriguez, and others.
While the film didn't receive Oscars attention, it was highly critically acclaimed. It was atop multiple top-10 lists, and Davis was nominated for a BAFTA.
"The Good Dinosaur" (2015)
Arlo in "The Good Dinosaur."
Disney/Pixar
It's impossible to deny the academy loves Pixar. Since the best animated feature category was introduced in 2001, Pixar has released 25 films, and all but six received nominations (with 11 wins).
The first non-sequel Pixar film to not receive a nomination was "The Good Dinosaur" which, even if it's not the most loved Pixar movie, still felt like a shocking snub.
"Hustlers" (2019)
Jennifer Lopez in "Hustlers."
STX Entertainment
If you were on the internet in 2019, you probably remember that everyone was expecting to wake up on Oscar nomination morning to find out that Jennifer Lopez had received her first nod.
Instead, Lopez, who played a cutthroat stripper Ramona in "Hustlers" and also produced the box-office smash, had to settle for Golden Globe, Indie Spirit, and SAG Award nominations.
You can even see how upset she was about the snub in her documentary "Jennifer Lopez: Halftime."
"Eyes Wide Shut" (1999)
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in "Eyes Wide Shut."
Warner Bros.
In 2022, IndieWire released a list of the 100 best films of the 1990s, and "Eyes Wide Shut" took the No. 1 spot.
However, the final film directed by iconic director Stanley Kubrick received zero Oscar nominations. As well as being considered one of cinema's greats, Kubrick had previously been nominated four times without a win — this would've been the academy's last chance to award him.
That's not even mentioning stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Sydney Pollack, or the cinematography by Larry Smith.
"Shutter Island" (2010)
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Shutter Island."
Paramount Pictures
Martin Scorsese has directed 26 films, and 18 have been nominated for at least one Oscar.
That leaves eight that have been snubbed by the academy, including 2010's "Shutter Island," which at the very least could've received an adapted screenplay nom for Laeta Kalogridis, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, or best editing for Thelma Schoonmaker.
"Boy Erased" (2018)
Nicole Kidman and Lucas Hedges in "Boy Erased."
Focus Features
"Boy Erased" received multiple Golden Globes nominations and one Critics' Choice nomination for star Nicole Kidman.
The film is based on the 2016 memoir by Garrard Conley, which details his experiences at a conversion therapy camp as a young adult.
This type of heartbreaking true story is typically Oscars catnip, but the academy didn't go for it this year.
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire" (2019)
Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel in "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."
Neon
The BFI Sight & Sound poll is one of the most respected movie rankings in the entertainment industry, with over 1,600 professionals in the film industry voting on their top 10 films.
An updated version comes out every 10 years, with the most recent list being published in 2022.
There are not many films from the 21st century, and even fewer from the 2010s — just 12 of 100. And the highest-placing film from last decade was the 2019 French film "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."
However, this film didn't even get a best international feature film nomination at the Oscars. France chose a different film entirely to submit as its country's representative, "Les Misérables."
"Battle of the Sexes" (2017)
"Battle of the Sexes."
Fox Searchlight
"Battle of the Sexes" is another "based on a true story" film that the academy didn't appreciate, even though both Emma Stone and Steve Carell have earned nominations (and in Stone's case, two wins) before.
The academy loves to acknowledge a physical transformation — see: Charlize Theron, Rami Malek, and Gary Oldman — so it was a surprise to some that Stone (playing Billie Jean King) and Carell (playing Bobby Riggs) were blanked.
At the very least, a hair and makeup nomination would've been deserved.
This year's four acting winners at the 2025 Oscars: Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldaña, and Kieran Culkin.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Not every movie can become a classic — just ask these 86 Oscar winners.
Although they've turned in some iconic performances, they've also starred in some flops.
Jessica Chastain and Adrien Brody are among the actors whose movies earned 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
At this year's Oscars, beloved actors took home the coveted acting awards, including Adrien Brody and Zoe Saldaña.
Winning an Academy Award is one of the highest honors an actor can receive — though, sometimes it can be a bit of a curse — but it doesn't mean that the actor is immune from appearing in bad movies.
These are the worst movies that 86 Oscar-winning actors have been in, according to critics scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Brody, one of the more famous "victims" of the Oscars curse, initially struggled to appear in many good films after his win in 2003 for "The Pianist." This year, however, it all changed; won his second Oscar nomination — and win — for "The Brutalist."
Between his two wins, he appeared in "Air Strike," a 2018 Chinese war film that focuses on the Japanese bombing of Chongqing during World War II. Brody plays a military doctor named Steve in a "special appearance."
Zoe Saldaña — "Constellation" (2005)
Gabrielle Union, Billy Dee Williams, and Zoe Saldaña in "Constellation."
Saldaña received her first Oscar nomination and win this year for her performance in "Emilia Pérez," a Spanish-language musical about a cartel dealer who undergoes gender reassignment surgery with the help of Rita Mora Castro (Saldaña), a lawyer.
Twenty years earlier, she appeared in what critics consider the worst film: "Constellation." It's the story of a family who returns to their hometown in Alabama when its matriarch Carmel dies. Saldaña plays Rosa, Carmel's niece.
Mikey Madison — "Liza, Liza, Skies are Grey" (2017)
Madison's feature film debut, "Liza, Liza, Skies are Grey," has also been deemed her worst by critics. Madison plays the titular Liza, a teenager in the '70s who takes a road trip with her boyfriend, Brett, against her mother's wishes.
Conversely, Madison's latest movie, "Anora," earned her an Oscar for best actress. Again, she plays the titular role, Anora (or Ani), a stripper and sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch … and chaos ensues.
Culkin won his first Oscar in 2025 for playing Benji in "A Real Pain," a simple yet effective story about two cousins who travel to Poland to visit their deceased grandmother's hometown.
Over a decade prior, he appeared in "Movie 43" alongside his then-girlfriend Emma Stone (who, funnily enough, produced "A Real Pain"). The two played a couple who have an embarrassing encounter in the grocery store where Culkin's character, Neil, works.
Stone won an Oscar for her role as Mia in "La La Land" in 2017, and seven years later, she picked up her second statue for playing Bella Baxter in "Poor Things."
In "Movie 43," Stone plays Veronica, who accidentally has her conversation with her ex-boyfriend (Culkin, also her real-life ex-boyfriend) broadcast to an entire grocery store.
Ten years after appearing in "Aloft," his worst movie according to critics, Cillian Murphy took home the 2024 Academy Award for best actor for portraying J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer."
In "Aloft," Murphy plays a man with nowhere near the historical significance of Oppie. Instead, he plays a falconer who wants to confront his cult-running mother for abandoning him as a child.
Downey's career has been filled with ups and downs, both personal and professional. While his personal struggles have been well-documented in the press, you might not know about this professional low, in which he plays Leo, the best friend of a star high school quarterback.
Nearly four decades later, Downey earned a best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss, a foil to J. Robert Oppenheimer, in "Oppenheimer."
Da'Vine Joy Randolph — "A Little White Lie" (2023)
The same year she scored an Academy Award for her heartwarming portrayal as Mary, a cook at a prestigious New England boarding school in "The Holdovers," Randolph appeared in the film "A Little White Lie," co-starring Michael Shannon and Kate Hudson as a handyman masquerading as an author and an English professor, respectively.
Jamie Lee Curtis — "Christmas With the Kranks" (2004)
In "Christmas with the Kranks," Curtis plays half of a married couple alongside Tim Allen, who are new empty-nesters. When their plans for a Christmas cruise are changed by their daughter's surprise visit, hijinks ensue.
Curtis has been in Hollywood for over 40 years but was finally recognized by the Academy in 2023 for her supporting role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Four years after appearing in this critically panned film, which co-starred Morgan Freeman and John Travolta, Fraser won an Oscar for his performance as a reclusive English professor in "The Whale."
Yeoh stars in "Babylon AD," a sci-fi dystopian thriller as a nun of a new religion that is darker than she realizes.
In 2023, Yeoh, much like her costar Jamie Lee Curtis, was recognized for her decades of work in Hollywood by winning an Oscar for her role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Smith has had some high highs and low lows, cinematically speaking. His worst-reviewed film is a personal one for him — it's 2013's "After Earth," in which he co-starred with his son Jaden Smith. They played father-and-son duo, Cypher, and Kitai Rage, who must work together to survive on a postapocalyptic Earth.
Almost 10 years later, he won an Oscar for portraying Richard Williams, the father of tennis GOATs Serena and Venus, in "King Richard."
Chastain finally won an Oscar 10 years after her first nomination for "The Help" in 2012. She took home the best actress prize for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," in which she totally transformed to play evangelical Christian celebrity Tammy Faye Bakker.
Back in 2009, though, Chastain appeared in a career-low, the film "Stolen" alongside Jon Hamm and Josh Lucas. The film tells the story of two fathers connected by the kidnappings of their sons 50 years apart.
Sam Rockwell — "Gentlemen Broncos" (2009) and "Mute" (2018)
Rockwell's been nominated for two Oscars, winning one for his performance in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" in 2018. The next year he was nominated again for "Vice."
Almost a decade prior, he appeared in "Gentlemen Broncos," a film about a would-be author named Benjamin Purvis, who is trying to write a book called "Yeast Lords." Rockwell plays the main character of the book, Bronco (later Brutus).
His other lowest-rated film, "Mute," was released in 2018 and is a follow-up to the 2009 film "Moon." Rockwell has an uncredited cameo in the film as his role from "Moon," Sam Bell.
In total, Tomei has been nominated at the Academy Awards three times, winning one in 1993 for "My Cousin Vinny." Her other two nominations were for 2001's "In the Bedroom" and 2008's "The Wrestler."
Right around the time of her second nomination, Tomei appeared in the worst-reviewed film of her career, "The Watcher," in which she plays the therapist of antisocial FBI agent Joel Campbell, played by James Spader.
Daniel Kaluuya — "Chatroom" (2010)
Hannah Murray, Daniel Kaluuya, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Beard, and Imogen Poots in "Chatroom."
Kaluuya scored his first Oscar win in 2021 for his performance as Fred Hampton in "Judas and the Black Messiah." He was also nominated for "Get Out."
But back in 2010, fresh off his run on "Skins," Kaluuya appeared in the internet thriller "Chatroom," which followed a group of teens who meet online and encourage each other's bad behavior.
Weisz won her first (and only, so far) Oscar for 2006's "The Constant Gardener." She was nominated again for 2018's "The Favourite."
Even if her worst film is the 2011 psychological thriller "Dream House," it couldn't have been that bad to shoot — on set, she reconnected with Daniel Craig, which led to their eventual marriage and the birth of their daughter in 2018.
Waititi might be best known as a writer and director — in fact, his Oscar win was for the screenplay of his film "Jojo Rabbit" in 2020 — but he has acted in a fair few films, including the maligned comic book film "Green Lantern," in which he plays an engineer and coworker of Hal Jordan, played by Ryan Reynolds.
Hilary Swank — "New Year's Eve" (2011), "The Next Karate Kid" (1994), and "The Reaping" (2007)
Swank has won two Academy Awards: one for her role in "Boys Don't Cry" in 2000 and one for her role in "Million Dollar Baby" in 2005.
Six years after her second win, Swank appeared in "New Year's Eve," Garry Marshall's second anthology film based on a holiday after 2010's "Valentine's Day." Swank plays Claire, the vice president of the Times Square Alliance, who has to deal with many mishaps regarding the ball drop. Her father, played by Robert De Niro, is also in the hospital while she's dealing with these crises.
Colman won her first Oscar in 2019 for "The Favourite," was nominated again for her role in "The Father," and received her third nom for "The Lost Daughter" in 2022.
But five years prior, she voiced a horse in "Pudsey the Dog: The Movie," a film based on Pudsey, the canine half of the "Britain's Got Talent" winners, Ashleigh and Pudsey.
Crowe was nominated for an Oscar three years in a row, from 2000 to 2002, winning one for his performance in "Gladiator" as Maximus in 2001.
However, in 2022, he appeared in the critically panned "Poker Face," a film Crowe also wrote and directed. In it, he plays a tech billionaire who invites his closest friends over to make them confess their secrets.
Mirren has one Academy Award win from four nominations, for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen."
Her worst-reviewed film is 2018's "Berlin, I Love You," part of Emmanuel Benbihy's "Cities of Love" series. The film is made up of different segments, each with a different director, about different people in Berlin. Mirren plays a character named Margaret.
J.K. Simmons — "Marmaduke" (2022) and "An Invisible Sign" (2010)
Simmons' first and only Oscar to date is for his performance in 2014's "Whiplash."
Eight years later, he had a voice role in the 2022 animated remake of "Marmaduke" as an Afghan hound named Zeus that earned a 0%. Another Simmons film, "An Invisible Sign," a math-based inspirational film, also received a 0% back in 2010.
McDormand has four Oscars on her résumé, for "Fargo," "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and two for "Nomadland" (as an actor and producer) with eight nominations total.
The same year she earned her fourth nomination for "North Country," she also appeared in "Æon Flux," a dystopian sci-fi thriller about an underground society trying to overthrow its dictatorial leaders. McDormand plays the Handler, the society's leader, but she may not be what she seems.
Rylance won an Oscar on his first try, for 2015's "Bridge of Spies." Just two years prior, though, he appeared in "Days and Nights," a film based on Anton Chekhov's play "The Seagull." Rylance plays Stephen, an ornithologist and husband to Alex (Katie Holmes), the daughter of the film's main character, movie star Elizabeth (Allison Janney).
Allison Janney — "A Thousand Words" (2012) and "Days and Nights" (2013)
Janney won her first Academy Award in 2018 for "I, Tonya." On the flip side, she's appeared in not one, but two 0% films on Rotten Tomatoes. First, she appeared in 2012 comedy "A Thousand Words," which focuses on Eddie Murphy's character Aaron losing his ability to speak freely — every word brought him closer to death. Janney plays a character named Samantha.
And, as a bonus, the next year, she appeared in the 0% film "Days and Nights."
Waltz is two-for-two in Oscars, with wins for "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained." In 2017, Waltz starred in 2017's historical drama "Tulip Fever," based on the 1999 novel of the same name. He played Cornelis Sandvoort, a merchant who commissions a painting of his wife Sophia — only for the painter to fall in love with Sophia himself.
Zellweger has earned two Oscars during her career. First, for her role as Ruby in the Civil War epic "Cold Mountain" in 2004, and then again in 2020 for her portrayal of Judy Garland in "Judy."
On the other hand, she also appeared in the 1999 rom-com flop "The Bachelor" as the ostensible female lead, Anne.
Phoenix earned his first Oscar win in 2020 for his performance in "Joker" as the titular comic book villain. He had been nominated three times prior. In "Russkies," (in which he is credited as Leaf Phoenix), he plays a 12-year-old Army brat named Danny.
Laura Dern — "Grizzly II: Revenge" (1983/2020) and "Little Fockers" (2010)
Dern's 2020 Oscar win for her turn as the ruthless divorce lawyer Nora in "Marriage Story" came after two previous nominations. That same year, a long-delayed film called "Grizzly II: Revenge" was finally released after being completed in 1983.
After decades in Hollywood, Pitt finally won an Oscar in 2020 for his performance in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," in which he played bodyguard Cliff Booth. While 2019 was a peak, the nadir of his career has to be his appearance in "Cool World" as Frank, a detective transported into a comic book world.
Nyong'o earned an Academy Award for her very first film, 2013's "12 Years a Slave," in which she played Patsey, a slave who endured particularly horrifying mistreatment and violence from her master, played by Michael Fassbender.
Since then, Nyong'o has proven to have good taste — she's only appeared in two films ruled "rotten" by Rotten Tomatoes ... with the worst film being 2022's spy thriller "The 355."
Redmayne won his first Oscar for 2015's "The Theory of Everything," in which he played Stephen Hawking from before his ALS diagnosis and time as a student through to when he was honored by the Queen in 1989.
However, the worst film in his career thus far is 2011's "Hick," an exceedingly dark film in which he plays a creepy man named Eddie who "falls in love" with a 13-year-old girl while on a road trip.
Portman has been nominated for three Oscars, winning one for her performance in "Black Swan" as Nina, a ballerina who is slowly losing her grip on reality.
In 2016, the same year she was nominated for her third Oscar for playing Jackie Kennedy in "Jackie," she also starred in the French film "Planetarium" as Laura, a séance host turned actress.
Firth received an Oscar for his role as King George in 2010's "The King's Speech," which focused on the King's efforts to conquer his stutter so that he could give a speech to the British public.
But only three years prior, Firth appeared in the most critically disliked film of his career, "The Accidental Husband," in which he plays the prim and proper Richard, opposite the film's titular accidental husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Theron won an Oscar for her breakthrough role in "Monster," a 2003 film about the real-life serial killer and sex worker Aileen Wuornos (played by Theron), who murdered seven men.
Over a decade later, she starred in "The Last Face." She played Wren Petersen, a doctor working for a Doctors Without Borders-type of organization in West Africa.
Hathaway, who won best supporting actress for her role as Fantine in "Les Misérables," plays a journalist who becomes an arms dealer named Elena McMahon in "The Last Thing He Wanted," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.
DiCaprio finally won his Oscar for his role as Hugh Glass in "The Revenant." In "Critters 3," he plays the main character's little brother, Josh. It's actually his film debut!
For a bonus, DiCaprio also produced a film with a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes: the 2018 horror film Delirium, starring Topher Grace.
Meryl Streep — "Lions for Lambs" (2007) and "Evening" (2007)
Streep's three Oscars came from her roles as Joanna Kramer in "Kramer vs. Kramer," Sophie in "Sophie's Choice," and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."
In "Lions for Lambs," Streep plays a TV journalist who is asked to spout positive propaganda about the war in Afghanistan. The same year, she co-starred with her daughter Mamie Gummer in a film called "Evening," in which they played older and younger versions of the same character.
Leto played a trans woman named Rayon in "Dallas Buyers Club," which earned him an Oscar for best supporting actor. Seventeen years prior, he starred in "Basil," based on the 1852 novel of the same name, as the titular character.
Davis won her first Oscar after three nominations for her role as Rosa Lee Maxson in "Fences." She was nominated yet again in 2021 for her role in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."
In "The Architect," she plays Tonya, an activist who decides to oppose the high-powered architect who designed the public housing she lives in.
Ali has won two Oscars. First, for his role as father figure and drug dealer Juan in "Moonlight," and then for his role as real-life musician, Dr. Don Shirley, in "Green Book."
In "Supremacy," Ali has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role as a cop named Deputy Rivers.
Jennifer Lawrence — "House at the End of the Street" (2012)
Lawrence won for her role as a young bipolar widow named Tiffany in "Silver Linings Playbook." In "House at the End of the Street," Lawrence plays the "final girl" Elissa, who is terrorized by her next-door neighbor.
Marlon Brando — "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" (1992)
Brando, one of the greatest actors of all time, won two Oscars in his career. First, for his role as Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront," and then for his iconic role as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather."
They can't all be winners though, as evidenced by "Christopher Columbus," in which Brando played the Spanish friar and first grand inquisitor, Tomás de Torquemada.
Damon, alongside Ben Affleck, won an Oscar for best screenplay for "Good Will Hunting," which he also starred in as Will Hunting.
His worst film, on the other hand, was 2017's "Suburbicon," written and directed by his friend George Clooney. Damon plays Gardner Lodge, the patriarch of a "seemingly normal family" inside a '50s suburb when their lives get upended by a home invasion.
Damon also has a 0% under his belt for producing the 2015 comedy "The Leisure Class."
Arquette won best supporting actress for her role as Olivia in "Boyhood," which was shot over the course of 12 years.
In "Holy Matrimony," directed by Leonard Nimoy, a 26-year-old Arquette stars as Havana, a petty criminal who is forced to marry the kid brother of her boyfriend after her boyfriend is killed in a car crash.
Poitier, who died in 2022, became the first Black actor to win an Oscar when he won for his performance in "Lilies in the Field," as Homer Smith, in 1964. Over 30 years later, he appeared in "The Jackal," a Bruce Willis-led action thriller, as FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston.
Swinton earned an Oscar for her role as Karen Crowder, a lawyer on the verge of a mental breakdown, in "Michael Clayton." In "The Beach," she plays Sal, the enigmatic leader of a beach community.
One year after Malek won an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody," Malek appeared in "Dolittle," a movie in which he voices Chee-Chee, a shy gorilla.
Jolie burst onto the scene with her Oscar-winning performance as Lisa in "Girl, Interrupted." Two years later, she starred in "Original Sin" as Julia Russell, opposite Antonio Banderas.
Gary Oldman — "Killers Anonymous" (2019) and "Nobody's Baby" (2001)
Just a year after his first Oscar win for his performance as Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour," Oldman starred in "Killers Anonymous," as a hit-man only called The Man, who joins a support group for killers. But, two years after this career low, he was nominated once again for his performance in "Mank."
But his first 0% movie came in 2001, with "Nobody's Baby." In it, he plays a criminal named Buford Bill.
Blanchett has won twice: first, for her role as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator" and second, for her Jasmine Francis in "Blue Jasmine."
However, the worst film in her career was 2024's "Borderlands," based on the video game series of the same name. She played Lilith, the film's orange-haired main character.
The "McConaissance" began with McConaughey's Oscar-winning performance as Ron Woodroof in "Dallas Buyers Club." "Surfer, Dude" falls squarely before McConaughey's career experienced a revival.
In "Surfer, Dude," he plays Steve Addington, a surfer who experiences an existential crisis.
Goldberg won for her role in "Ghost" as medium Oda Mae Brown. Five years later, she appeared in "Theodore Rex," as a detective named Katie Coltrane who works with dinosaurs. At the time, it was the "most expensive straight-to-video flop," according to The Guardian.
Another poorly received film Goldberg starred in was "Homer & Eddie," in which she plays an escaped mental patient.
Day-Lewis is extremely selective with the movies he chooses, so it's no surprise that "Nine" isn't as widely panned as some other films on this list. In it, he plays director Guido Contini, based on Federico Fellini.
The now-retired actor has won three Oscars. First, for his role as Christy Brown, a man with cerebral palsy, in "My Left Foot," for his role as silver prospector Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood," and as the 16th president of the United States in "Lincoln."
Huston won in 1986 for her role as Maerose Prizzi in "Prizzi's Honor," which was directed by her father, John Huston, and co-starred her longtime love, Jack Nicholson.
In 2006, she played a makeup mogul named Fabiella Du Mont in "Material Girls."
Bridges won an Oscar for his performance in "Crazy Heart" as an aging country star named Otis "Bad" Blake. But decades prior, he starred in "8 Million Ways to Die" as Scudder, an alcoholic detective.
Hawn won her Oscar for 1969's "Cactus Flower," in which she played Toni, a 21-year-old girlfriend of a dentist, played by Walter Matthau. In "Town & Country," Hawn plays a woman named Mona, whose husband is cheating on her with another man.
Whitaker garnered an Oscar for his role as real-life Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." Five years later, Whitaker appeared in "A Dark Truth" as a character named Francisco, who wants to expose the beginnings of a typhus outbreak in a South American village.
Bullock portrayed Leigh Anne Tuohy, the adoptive mother of professional football player Michael Oher, in "The Blind Side," earning her an Oscar. In "Speed 2," she reprises her role as Annie Porter from the first "Speed" movie, a civilian who frequently finds herself in high-stress situations.
Winslet played a former Nazi guard named Hanna in "The Reader," and her performance earned her an Oscar. In "Movie 43," Winslet plays Beth, who goes on a blind date with Davis, played by Hugh Jackman.
Witherspoon won an Oscar for her role in "Walk the Line" as June Carter Cash. In "S.F.W.," she plays a hostage named Wendy who falls in love with another hostage named Cliff, played by Stephen Dorff.
Paul Newman — "When Time Ran Out..." (1980) and "Adventures of a Young Man" (1962)
Newman is one of the most beloved actors in American history, though it took decades for him to finally win an Oscar for his role as "Fast" Eddie Felson in 1986's "The Color of Money."
Six years prior to the win, he starred in universally panned "When Time Ran Out..." as an oil rigger named Hank Anderson. Eighteen years prior, he had starred in another 0% movie, "Adventures of a Young Man."
Nicole Kidman — "Grace of Monaco" (2014) and "Trespass" (2011)
After decades of iconic performances, Pacino won his Oscar for 1992's "Scent of a Woman." In it, he plays Frank Slade, a blind alcoholic whom Chris O'Donnell's character Charlie is tasked with taking care of.
In "Jack and Jill," Pacino plays a fictionalized version of himself who has a giant crush on Jill, played by Adam Sandler.
Berry is perhaps one of the most famous alleged victims of the "Oscar's curse." After winning for her portrayal of Leticia Musgrove in "Monster's Ball," Berry's career slowed down.
Case in point: the 2012 film "Dark Tide," in which Berry plays Katie Mathieson, the shark expert afraid to get back in the water.
However, her career is definitely picking back up again with recent films like "Moonfall," "Bruised," and the third "John Wick" film.
De Niro is another highly respected actor in cinematic history, as evidenced by his two Oscar wins for "The Godfather Part II" as Vito Corleone — he and Marlon Brando won Oscars for the same role — and for "Raging Bull" as real-life boxer Jake LaMotta.
But sometimes even De Niro gets a dud, like 2004's "Godsend," a horror film starring De Niro as a doctor who offers to help a grieving couple by cloning their dead son.
Sarandon's Oscar win came from her role in "Dead Man Walking," in which she plays a nun, Sister Helen Prejean, who became close with a death row prisoner, Matthew (played by Sean Penn).
In "The Big Wedding," Sarandon plays Bebe, the new girlfriend of Robert De Niro's character Don, who is returning home for the wedding of his son Alejandro.
Nicholson has won three Oscars. He won for his role as Randle "Mac" McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," for Garrett Breedlove in "Terms of Endearment," and for Melvin Udall in "As Good As It Gets."
In 1992, Nicholson starred in "Man Trouble" as Harry Bliss, a man who runs a guard dog service and gets blackmailed into stealing.
Roberts earned an Oscar for "Erin Brockovich," in which she played the titular character, a legal clerk who built a case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
In "Love, Wedding, Marriage," which was directed by her friend and frequent costar Dermot Mulroney, only Roberts' voice can be heard as Ava's (played by Mandy Moore) therapist.
Washington won Oscars for his performances as Private Silas Trip in "Glory" and Detective Alonzo Harris in "Training Day." He was nominated for No. 3 for "The Tragedy of Macbeth" in 2022.
He also starred in the movie, "Heart Condition," as a lawyer named Napoleon Stone who gets murdered and reappears as a ghost to help his racist former colleague, played by Bob Hoskins.
Bale garnered his first Oscar for his role as Dicky Eklund in "The Fighter." Nine years prior, he starred in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" as Madras, a local Greek fisherman.
Paquin was just 11 years old when she won an Oscar for her role as Flora McGrath, a child who interprets for her mute mother, in "The Piano." A decade later, she starred in the horror movie "Darkness," where she plays a teenager, Regina, living in a possessed house.
Hanks won Oscars back-to-back for his roles as Andrew Beckett in "Philadelphia" and as Forrest in "Forrest Gump." He also starred in this flop, "The Bonfire of the Vanities," as Sherman McCoy, a typical Wall Street broker.
Paltrow scored an Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love," in which she plays Shakespeare's love interest, Viola de Lesseps.
In "Mortdecai," Paltrow costars with Johnny Depp as the married con artist couple Johanna and Charlie Mortdecai, while in "Hush," she plays Helen, a young woman being manipulated by her mother-in-law.
Morgan Freeman — "The Minute You Wake Up Dead" (2022), "The Poison Rose" (2019), "That Was Then…This Is Now" (1985), and "The Contract" (2006)
Field has won two Oscars in her career. First, for playing the titular role in "Norma Rae," and then for her role as Edna Spalding in "Places in the Heart."
In "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure," Field plays a passenger, Celeste Whitman, aboard a tugboat that's set to salvage the sunken Poseidon.
Benicio del Toro — "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" (1992)
Franchises have been the backbone of Hollywood for decades.
The highest-grossing franchise in movie history is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It has made more than $31 billion at the box office since 2008.
It's hard to imagine what the movies would look like without sequels, spin-offs, and connected universes taking over the box office every weekend.
The top 10 movie franchises at the global box office have each grossed at least $5 billion. They range from '60s and '70s series like James Bond and the "Star Wars" movies to more contemporary releases like "The Fast and the Furious" and "Harry Potter."
Business Insider used data from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers to identify the highest-grossing film franchises of all time.
Here's how each of your favorite movie universes compare, including their number of films and their top-performing release.
10. "Batman"
"The Dark Knight Rises."
Warner Bros.
Box office total: $5.72 billion
Number of movies: 11
Highest-grossing movie: "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) — $1.11 billion
Daniel Craig's replacement will have big shoes to fill.
Sony
Longtime "James Bond" producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are stepping back.
Amazon MGM Studios will now have full creative control of the franchise.
There have been 27 "Bond" films over the last 63 years, ranging in quality.
Longtime "James Bond" producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are ceding creative control of Bond, James Bond, to Amazon MGM Studios.
Wilson has been involved with Eon Productions, the original studio behind "Bond," since 1972 and Broccoli's family has had cinematic stewardship of the franchise since it began in 1962.
Amazon officially acquired MGM in 2022, but the studio hasn't produced any 007 content since then; they haven't even picked a successor to Daniel Craig after his 2021 exit. It's understood by many that the fierce protectiveness that the Broccoli family feels over the character has stalled any future franchise development, but now that Amazon has full control, that's expected to change.
In honor of the new James Bond who's certainly coming our way soon, we used Rotten Tomatoes to see how all 27 films in this storied franchise stack up, according to critics.
The lowest-rated Bond movie by critics is 1967's "Casino Royale," starring David Niven as the titular spy.
This version of "Casino Royale" is a parody of spy films, rather than a straightforward Bond caper. It's also one of two films about James Bond that wasn't produced by Eon Productions.
"Casino Royale" also starred Peter Seller, Ursula Andress, Joanna Pettet, Daliah Lavi, Barbara Bouchet, and Terence Coop in double roles — all of them play different versions of Bond. Woody Allen also appeared as Bond's nephew, Jimmy.
"Unfortunately, after the introductory sequences, 'Casino Royale' begins a downhill slide. It gets progressively sillier and more incoherent until it's impossible to keep any of the plot elements straight. Worse, with only occasional exceptions, the humor ceases to be funny, and the whole production degenerates into absurdity," wrote James Berardinelli of ReelViews.
Roger Moore's seventh and final outing as 007 was also his worst, according to critics.
The film sees Bond travel to San Francisco to save Silicon Valley from a rogue KGB agent played by Christopher Walken. His bodyguard and lover, May Day, was notably played by Grace Jones.
The classic "Bond girl" was played by Tanya Roberts, of future "That '70s Show" fame.
"It's not double-oh-seven anymore, but double-oh-seventy, the best argument yet for the mandatory retirement age," wrote The Washington Post's Paul Attanasio.
"The Man with the Golden Gun" starred Moore as Bond, and legendary actor Christopher Lee as the titular man with the golden gun, Francisco Scaramanga. Meanwhile, Bond's love interest, Mary Goodnight, was played by Britt Ekland.
Bond and Scaramanga engage in a game of cat-and-mouse for much of the movie, as no one knows what Scaramanga looks like, outside the fact that he has a third nipple.
"If you enjoyed the early Bond films as much as I did, you'd better skip this one," wrote Nora Sayre of The New York Times.
Let's get it out of the way: Yes, this movie is really called "Octopussy." Its titular character, a successful businesswoman and jewel smuggler, was played by Maud Adams. Bond and Octopussy have personal business: Years earlier, Bond arrested her father for treason.
The two form an uneasy alliance to defeat an exiled Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, played by Louis Jourdan.
"It's an easy film to hate (and often paints a big target on its back encouraging you to do so), but it works perfectly as a piece of entertainment, where the good ultimately outweighs the bad," wrote Jake Tropila of Film Inquiry.
Critics think the worst Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan is 1999's "The World Is Not Enough," Brosnan's third.
Bond shares the screen with an American nuclear physicist named Dr. Christmas Jones. Equally improbable, she's played by Denise Richards. His other female costar is Elektra King, an oil heiress played by Sophie Marceau.
The classic Bond villain, Renard, an ex-KGB agent who became a terrorist, was played by Robert Carlyle.
"What do the James Bond series, the Chicago Cubs, and Master P's No Limit empire have in common? All owe their considerable commercial success more to loyalty, marketing, and tradition than to quality," wrote Nathan Rabin for the AV Club.
Brosnan's fourth and final appearance as Bond, 2002's "Die Another Day," saw him get overshadowed by Halle Berry.
"Die Another Day" plays as a classic early 2000s film: heavy on the CGI and the product placement. But it's notable for its casting of Berry as Jinx Johnson, an NSA agent, whose entrance in an orange bikini remains iconic over 20 years later.
"Die Another Day" was also the first Bond movie in 39 years to not feature Desmond Llewelyn's Q as the head of the British Secret Service's fictional research and development division — in other words, he provided Bond with all of his nifty gadgets.
Llewelyn died in 1999, just a few weeks after the premiere of "The World Is Not Enough." He was replaced as Q by John Cleese for "Die Another Day," which would end up being Cleese's only appearance as the character.
"In a year when 'Austin Powers' has scoffed at 007 as a joke and 'xXx' has scoffed at him as an anachronism, 'Die Another Day' is a fluffed opportunity to assert that nobody does it better," wrote Nicholas Barber for The Independent.
Brosnan suited up for his second Bond film in 1997 with "Tomorrow Never Dies," which introduced international audiences to Michelle Yeoh — for that alone, it remains an important cultural moment.
The film follows Bond as he attempts to stop power-hungry media tycoon Elliot Carver, played by Jonathan Pryce, from engineering events that will bring about World War III.
The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern criticized the film for its overuse of product placements.
"In the latest James Bond, our hero saves the world from brand-name unawareness. 'Tomorrow Never Dies' is a dramatized trade show; imagine Comdex or the Geneva Automobile Salon with a plot," he wrote.
It took four movies for Moore's Bond to blast off into space, which he does by the end of "Moonraker."
He takes on an all-time Bond villain, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale), who somehow wants to kill the entire population of Earth with nerve gas and use his own space station as Noah's Ark to repopulate the planet with a "master race."
"The space-age plot is spread dangerously thin, the fights all tend to slapstick, and the wanton destruction has become rather too predictable. But it's held together by likable performances," wrote Chris Auty for Time Out.
Daniel Craig's lowest-rated Bond movie is 2015's "Spectre."
It was the first Bond film since "Diamonds Are Forever" to include Bond's most famous villain, Blofeld (now played by Christoph Waltz), and his criminal organization SPECTRE.
Also notable was Sam Smith's Bond song, "Writing's on the Wall," which became the second consecutive Bond theme to win an Oscar.
"'Spectre,' Sam Mendes' latest entry in the James Bond franchise, is a real oddity: the first 007 film that's more enjoyable to think about than to watch," wrote FlavorWire's Jason Bailey.
Craig's second outing as Bond, 2008's "Quantum of Solace," received a similar critical response.
The movie picks up almost immediately after the events of Craig's first Bond installment, "Casino Royale." He once again faces off against Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, an assassin.
Bond also faces environmental entrepreneur Dominic Greene (played by French filmmaker and actor Mathieu Amalric) who claims to want to stop deforestation but is actually trying to stage a coup in Bolivia to take control of the country's natural resources.
"Although it's not the most crushing disappointment of all time — finding you have won the lottery but lost the ticket is probably more crushing, I imagine — it is still a crushing disappointment," wrote Deborah Ross for The Spectator.
After starring in five Bond films, Sean Connery left the role and let someone else take a (relatively successful) crack at the character. But he returned for Bond No. 7, which you might recall from its iconic theme song sung by Shirley Bassey.
Connery would once again leave the role until 1983 when he appeared in the second non-Eon Productions Bond movie, "Never Say Never Again."
In "Diamonds Are Forever," Bond faces his archenemy Blofeld (Charles Gray).
"The movie's momentum is such that one never has much time to react to its lack of reason, only to its sensations of speed and narrow escape, and to the splendor of its crazy gadgets and decor," wrote The New York Times' Vincent Canby.
"Live and Let Die" (1973) might've been Moore's first outing as Bond, but it's most remembered for the Paul McCartney song of the same name.
In total, Moore played Bond seven times, the same number of appearances as the first-ever Bond, Sean Connery.
"Live and Let Die," per IndieWire, was released during the height of the blaxploitation movement in cinema, and therefore led to a supporting cast of mainly Black actors, including the first Black Bond girl, Rosie Carver, played by Gloria Hendry
"It is good, lively, mindless entertainment, slow to warm up but once embarked upon its improbable story quick to appreciate its own absurdity," wrote The Guardian's Derek Malcolm.
"For Your Eyes Only" is Moore's fifth Bond movie, and a real course correction from the campier, sci-fi tone of "Moonraker."
In this installment, Bond's love interest, Melina Havelock, played by Carole Bouquet, is dead set on getting revenge for the murder of her parents. Meanwhile, Bond teams up with a former smuggler, Milos Columbo, played by Israeli actor Chaim Topol, to recover a dangerous piece of submarine tech.
"No. 12 in the phenomenally durable James Bond series. 'For Your Eyes Only' is undeniably easy on the eyes. Maybe too easy to prevent the mind from wandering and the lids from drooping," wrote Gary Arnold for The Washington Post.
"Never Say Never Again" is the result of some complicated rights issues from the Ian Fleming novels the Bond movies are based on. It's a remake of the 1965 movie "Thunderball," which also starred Connery, which was in turn based on the 1961 Fleming novel of the same name.
Due to conflicts between Fleming and producer Kevin McClory, McClory ended up with the rights to "Thunderball" and anything introduced in that story, including SPECTRE.
So, in 1983, McClory commissioned a remake of "Thunderball," titled "Never Say Never Again" starring Connery once again, for a non-Eon Bond film. The title was reportedly inspired by Connery's wife who told her husband that he couldn't say he'd "never" return to Bond again, per Screen Rant.
"In 'Never Say Never Again,' the formula is broadened to accommodate an older, seasoned man of much greater stature, and Mr. Connery expertly fills the bill," wrote Janet Maslin for The New York Times.
Timothy Dalton's first entry into Bond lore, 1987's "The Living Daylights," was well-received.
After Moore left the role, the British actor stepped into Bond's very prolific shoes. The only constant remaining from Moore's tenure was Desmond Llewelyn as Q.
The plot, as usual, involved Bond investigating shady activities by the KGB. In this case, he was investigating suspicious deaths of KGB defectors, which put him directly in the path of Brad Whitaker, an American arms dealer played by Joe Don Baker.
"'The Living Daylights' is different; even from a quarter of a century away, there's nothing to sully the romantic air. It's no coincidence that the most recent Bond films are the closest in tone," wrote The Guardian's Les Roopanarine.
12. "You Only Live Twice" (1967)
"You Only Live Twice."
Stephan C. Archetti/Keystone Features/Getty Images
Fun fact about "You Only Live Twice": Beloved children's author Roald Dahl, the mind behind "The BFG," "The Witches," "James and the Giant Peach," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," wrote the screenplay.
The biggest legacy of "You Only Live Twice" is the performance of Donald Pleasence as Bond's enemy, Blofeld. In just two minutes, you can see where Mike Myers got the idea for Dr. Evil in the "Austin Powers" movies.
"What I can say for sure is 'You Only Live Twice' is the Bond film I have seen most often and I have enjoyed the hell out it every single time," wrote Phelim O'Neill for The Guardian.
Dalton's second (and final) outing as Bond, "Licence to Kill," was even more well-received than his debut.
The film was, at the time, the darkest Bond movie ever released — it followed Bond as he was suspended from MI6 in order to help his friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter, played by David Hedison, avenge the murder of his new wife … all while trying to take down a Latin American drug kingpin.
"Dalton revives the cool, ironic detachment of the Connery years, but he also allows a touch of obsession to show through Bond's surface aplomb," wrote the Chicago Reader's Dave Kehr.
After six Bond-less years, Irish star Brosnan brought the world's most dashing spy back to the big screen with 1995's "GoldenEye." His version of Bond began his tenure taking down a rogue M16 agent played by Sean Bean and romancing a Russian programmer played by Izabella Scorupco.
This movie also marked the first appearance of Judi Dench as Bond's boss at M16, M, who would go on to appear in the Craig movies.
The most lasting legacy of this movie, though, may be the Nintendo 64 game based on it, simply titled "GoldenEye 007," released in 1997. It became the third-best-selling Nintendo 64 game of all time, per VGChartz.
"With a dynamite opening reel that showcases the series' renewed vigor, 'GoldenEye' is two hours of well-executed thrills, high-tech mayhem and one-of-a-kind comedy," wrote David Hunter for The Hollywood Reporter.
9. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969)
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service."
Michael Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
It wasn't critically beloved at the time, but George Lazenby's one and only Bond movie has been reevaluated in the following five decades. Now, it's one of the most critically admired Bond films.
Part of what makes this film so different than any other Bond movie, besides Lazenby, is that it ends in true tragedy: After Bond falls in love with Diana Rigg's Countess Tracy di Vicenzo, the two wed at the end of the movie, only for Tracy to get shot by Bond's nemesis Blofeld (Telly Savalas) immediately after.
"'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is pure poetry. It transcends the idea of a Bond film. Gorgeously photographed, thrillingly executed, and wonderfully performed, this is the franchise zenith," wrote Jake Tropila for Film Inquiry.
"The Spy Who Loved Me" was Moore's third outing as Bond, and his best, according to critics. It covers similar territory as other Bond movies, including a megalomaniac villain dedicated to starting World War III — this time a shipping tycoon named Karl Stromberg, played by Curt Jürgens.
This movie was also the debut of Jaws, one of the most memorable henchmen in Bond history, played by Richard Kiel.
"The end result is unquestionably one of the Bond series' brightest spots, and includes a good deal of its finest moments," wrote Gerardo Valero for RogerEbert.com.
After five movies and 15 years, Craig drank his final shaken, not stirred, martini in the epic conclusion to his series, "No Time to Die."
While Craig, as usual, performed his role admirably, audiences left "No Time to Die" talking about Ana de Armas' CIA agent, Paloma, and Lashana Lynch's new 007 agent, Nomi.
The less we say about Rami Malek's performance as the film's nanobots-obsessed villain Lyutsifer Safin, the better.
"No Time to Die" also became the third Bond film in a row to have its theme — this time sung by Billie Eilish — win an Oscar.
"With this fifth and final go-round, it's clear who the best Bond is. It's Craig, Daniel Craig," wrote Mark Feeney for The Boston Globe.
"Thunderball" is the second-highest-grossing Bond film ever, accounting for inflation, only behind "Skyfall," per Screen Rant. At this point in history, Connery's Bond had become a full-blown phenomenon.
In the movie, Bond's mission was to recapture two atomic bombs stolen by the evil criminal organization SPECTRE. Much of the film's action takes place underwater, an impressive feat for the '60s. Bond also, of course, falls in love with the girlfriend of a SPECTRE agent, Domino, played by Claudine Auger.
"The color is handsome. The scenery in the Bahamas is an irresistible lure. Even the violence is funny. That's the best I can say for a Bond film," wrote Bosley Crowther for The New York Times.
The highest-grossing Bond film of all time is 2012's "Skyfall," starring Craig.
"Skyfall" was Craig's third Bond film, and, to many, a high point of his Bond tenure. The film delves into Bond's past in a way that hadn't been done for many years, and introduced viewers to the super-spy's ancestral home in Scotland, fittingly named Skyfall.
Javier Bardem's performance as Raoul Silva, a former M16 agent (and now cyber-terrorist), instantly solidified Bardem as one of the top-tier Bond villains.
"Skyfall" also introduced audiences to the new versions of Q (Ben Whishaw) and Miss Moneypenny (Naomie Harris).
The film's theme, "Skyfall" by Adele, also started the three-film streak of Bond themes winning the Academy Award.
"Bond traditions haven't just been updated — they've been intelligently modified and rethought, giving us the franchise's inherent pleasures in a new package," wrote Tim Grierson of Deadspin.
"Casino Royale" kicked off an entirely new generation Bond after a multi-year break. The film follows a newly appointed 007 as he joins a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro, in order to bankrupt the terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).
Bond is paired with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a British Treasury agent. Their relationship would haunt Bond until Craig's final installment, "No Time to Die."
"Daniel Craig, an excellent actor, has more than earned his Walther PPK," wrote Stephanie Condron and Sinclair McKay for The Telegraph.
The very first Bond movie, 1962's "Dr. No," is still a high bar that the franchise rarely clears.
Without the success of "Dr. No," which was released 63 years ago, it's unlikely that we would've ever gotten 26 more films about the most debonair spy on his side of the Atlantic.
"Dr. No" was successful, much due to Connery's iconic take on the character.
Does the plot, in which Bond teams up with a seashell diver in Jamaica named Honey Ryder (the first Bond girl ever, Ursula Andress) to take down a mad scientist determined to stop a rocket launch with a radio beam named Dr. Julius No make the most sense? No, but we love it anyway.
"[The] first screen adventure of Ian Fleming's hard-hitting, fearless, imperturbable, girl-loving Secret Service Agent 007, James Bond, is an entertaining piece of tongue-in-cheek action hokum," wrote Variety.
Connery's second outing as Bond follows him as he goes up against multiple SPECTRE agents who want him dead after the events of "Dr. No." He also falls in love with a Soviet clerk, Tatiana Romanova, played by Daniela Bianchi.
Notably, this was Desmond Llewelyn's first appearance as Bond's technology supplier Q. He'd play the role until his death in 1999.
"A highly immoral film in every imaginable way but it sure is fun...," wrote Richard Roud for The Guardian.
It seems increasingly unlikely we'll ever have a Bond movie that tops "Goldfinger," a movie in which Bond meets a female pilot (played by Honor Blackman), investigates a sociopath obsessed with gold named Auric Goldfinger (played by Gert Fröbe), and sleeps with a woman named Jill Masterson (played by Shirley Eaton) who gets painted in gold for her betrayal and dies from "skin suffocation."
Not all of it has aged well — specifically, the scene where Bond forcibly kisses Galore in a barn comes to mind — but it's still where many of the tropes we've come to associate Bond with began.
"Perfection. Farty critics may scoff, but 'Goldfinger' should take its place among the greats," wrote Ian Nathan for Empire.
Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo are both Oscar-nominated this year.
Frazer Harrison/BAFTA LA/Getty Images
There's been a lot of talk about how Marvel movies aren't the most prestigious.
But the casts of these superhero films include acclaimed actors.
Five of the Academy Award nominees this year have been in the MCU.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU) has been at the center of film discourse for as long as the movies have existed — everyone from Martin Scorsese to Timothée Chalamet has weighed in on how superhero movies have impacted cinema.
And Marvel isn't casting B-listers to play Earth's mightiest heroes. The casts of these films and TV shows are filled with Academy Award winners and nominees.
There are almost 100 Oscar nominees in the MCU to date, including 2025 nominees Sebastian Stan, Zoe Saldaña, Guy Pearce, Edward Norton, and Colman Domingo.
We've rounded up Oscar nominees and winners by MCU movie and series — see if you remember them all.
There are four Oscar winners and one nominee in the cast of "Iron Man."
Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Samuel L. Jackson, and Terence Howard.
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Downey, who played the titular Iron Man (aka Tony Stark), has two Oscar nominations to his name and one win for his performances in 1992's "Chaplin," 2008's "Tropic Thunder," and 2023's "Oppenheimer," respectively.
But he's not the only one. Terrence Howard, who played his best friend, James Rhodes, was nominated in 2006 for "Hustle & Flow," and his on-screen love interest, Pepper Potts, was played by Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow (who won for "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999).
The villain of the film, Obadiah Stane, was played by Jeff Bridges, who won in 2010 for "Crazy Heart." He has an additional six nominations under his belt for the films "The Last Picture Show," "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Starman," "The Contender," "True Grit," and "Hell or High Water."
Last but not least, Samuel L. Jackson made his first cameo appearance as Nick Fury in the post-credits scene. Somehow, Jackson was only nominated for an Oscar once in his career, for "Pulp Fiction" in 1995. He received an honorary award in 2022.
"The Incredible Hulk" might not be well-regarded, but it's not for the lack of talent in its cast.
Edward Norton, William Hurt, and Tim Roth.
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The film's star, Edward Norton, has been nominated four times: for "Primal Fear" in 1997, "American History X" in 1999, "Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" in 2015, and "A Complete Unknown" in 2025.
His two main antagonists in the film, Thunderbolt Ross and Emil Blonsky (aka the Abomination), were played by Oscar winner William Hurt and nominee Tim Roth, respectively.
Hurt, who died in 2022, won for his performance in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1986, and received an additional three nominations in 1987, 1988, and 2006 for "Children of a Lesser God," "Broadcast News," and "A History of Violence."
Roth was nominated in 1996 for his role in "Rob Roy."
"Iron Man 2" switched out one Academy Award nominee for another.
Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, and Sam Rockwell.
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Terrence Howard was replaced with Don Cheadle for the highly anticipated sequel to "Iron Man." Cheadle himself was nominated for an Oscar in 2005 for his performance in "Hotel Rwanda."
But he's not the only Oscar nominee who joined the MCU in its third film. Scarlett Johansson also made her debut as Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in this film. She's since been nominated twice, for "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit," both in 2020.
The two villains in this film have also been acknowledged by the Academy. Whiplash was played by nominee Mickey Rourke (nominated in 2009 for "The Wrestler"), while his financier Justin Hammer was played by Sam Rockwell, who won in 2018 for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." He was additionally nominated in 2019 for "Vice."
Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Jeremy Renner are all in "Thor."
Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Jeremy Renner.
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Hopkins is one of the most iconic actors of his generation, with two wins ("The Silence of the Lambs" and "The Father") and four nominations under his belt. There was no better choice to play the ruler of all Norse gods, Odin.
Thor's love interest, Jane, was played by Portman, a one-time winner and two-time nominee. Her performance in 2011's "Thor" was the same year as her Oscar win for "Black Swan."
Lastly, Clint Barton (or Hawkeye, if you prefer), played by Renner, made a cameo appearance in this film. He's been nominated twice for performances in "The Hurt Locker" and "The Town."
"Captain America" star Sebastian Stan joined the ranks of Oscar-nominated MCU actors this year.
Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, and Stanley Tucci.
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Stan was nominated in 2025 for playing Donald Trump in "The Apprentice," 14 years after making his first appearance as Bucky Barnes in "Captain America: The First Avenger" — and it certainly wasn't his last. Stan is set to play Bucky once more this summer in "Thunderbolts" after making a brief cameo in "Captain America: Brave New World."
You'd be forgiven for forgetting that Tommy Lee Jones had a role in the MCU, as he's never reprised his role as Colonel Chester Phillips. But he's in there!
In the past, Jones has been nominated for Oscars three times ("JFK" in 1992, "In the Valley of Elah" in 2008, and "Lincoln" in 2013). He also won in 1994 for "The Fugitive."
Stanley Tucci had a more pivotal role in the film as Dr. Erskine, the kindly scientist who gives Steve Rogers the serum that gives him superpowers.
He was a much creepier character in his Oscar-nominated performance in "The Lovely Bones" in 2010.
Edward Norton was replaced as the Hulk in "The Avengers" by Mark Ruffalo, another Oscar nominee.
Mark Ruffalo.
Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Ruffalo is a four-time Oscar nominee, with nods for "The Kids are All Right" in 2011, "Foxcatcher" in 2015, "Spotlight" in 2016, and "Poor Things" in 2024.
"Iron Man 3" has two Oscar nominees in its cast.
Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley.
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Spoilers for "Iron Man 3," but it turns out that Ben Kingsley was actually playing an unsuccessful actor named Trevor Slattery, not Iron Man's archenemy, the Mandarin, in a controversial plot twist.
Thankfully for Kingsley, his real career is going much more smoothly. He won in 1983 for "Gandhi " and received three additional nominations for "Bugsy" in 1992, "Sexy Beast" in 2002, and "House of Sand and Fog" in 2004.
Guy Pearce played Iron Man's real foe in this film, Aldrich Killian. In 2025, Pearce received his first Oscar nomination for his performance in "The Brutalist."
Legendary actor Robert Redford joined the MCU in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."
Robert Redford.
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Redford has been nominated three times for an Academy Award: in 1973 for "The Sting" as an actor, and then as a producer and director for "Quiz Show" in 1994.
He's also won twice. First, in 1981 for best director of "Ordinary People," and then he received an honorary award in 2002.
In "Winter Soldier," he plays a shady governmental figure named Alexander Pierce.
The cast of "Guardians of the Galaxy" is one of the most nominated in the MCU.
Zoe Saldaña, Benicio del Toro, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Bradley Cooper, and Djimon Hounsou.
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First up with the smaller roles. Djimon Honsou, who had a small but pivotal role as Korath the Pursuer in the film, has been nominated twice for "In America" in 2004 and "Blood Diamond" in 2007.
John C. Reilly, who also had a small role as a Nova Corps corpsman, was nominated in 2003 for "Chicago."
Benicio del Toro plays the Collector, an alien who does exactly what his name says. He won in 2001 for "Traffic," and received another nod in 2004 for "21 Grams."
Somehow, eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close is also in this film with a small role as Nova Prime Rael. Her most recent two nominations were for 2017's "The Wife" and 2020's "Hillbilly Elegy."
One of the true co-leads of the film, Gamora, is played by Zoe Saldaña, who received her first Oscar nomination this year for the controversial film "Emilia Pérez."
But, most famously, 12-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is in this movie, voicing Rocket the Racoon, in a vocal performance that's frankly been wrongfully ignored by the Academy.
Cooper has been nominated as an actor, producer, and screenwriter in various combinations for "Silver Linings Playbook" (released in 2012), "American Hustle" (2013), "American Sniper" (2014), "A Star Is Born" (2018), "Joker" (2019), "Nightmare Alley" (2021), and "Maestro" (2023).
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" has two Oscar nominees in the cast, but you might've missed them.
Kerry Condon and Julie Delpy.
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When Tony Stark needed to replace the AI in his suit, he just so happened to choose the voice of Oscar-nominated actor Kerry Condon. Her voice has been heard in multiple MCU movies as FRIDAY, Tony's replacement for JARVIS, his old AI who became Vision.
Condon added Oscar nominee to her résumé after getting nominated for "The Bashees of Inisherin" in 2023.
Julie Delpy, who was nominated as a screenwriter for "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight," appears in flashbacks to Natasha Romanoff's time in the Red Room as a child. Those experiences were explored in 2021's "Black Widow," sans Delpy's character.
Two-time Oscar winner Michael Douglas plays Hank Pym in "Ant-Man" and its sequels.
Michael Douglas.
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Douglas, who won for his acting in "Wall Street" in 1988 and for producing best picture winner "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1976, has played the original Ant-Man Hank Pym since 2015's "Ant-Man."
A few Oscar winners and nominees were cast in "Captain America: Civil War."
Chadwick Boseman, Marisa Tomei, Alfre Woodard, and Jim Rash.
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Most prominently was Chadwick Boseman, who joined the MCU as T'Challa/Black Panther in "Civil War." He received a posthumous nomination in 2021 for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" after his death in 2020.
Marisa Tomei, winner for "My Cousin Vinny" in 1993 (and additional two-time nominee for "In the Bedroom" and "The Wrestler"), was cast as Peter Parker's Aunt May, a role she'd reprise multiple times.
But even glorified cameos were cast with Oscar nominees in this film. Alfre Woodard, 1984 nominee for "Cross Creek," plays a grieving mother who makes Tony Stark reconsider his position on certain political matters.
Plus, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Jim Rash (also an actor) has a small role as an MIT employee.
Four of the biggest roles in "Doctor Strange" are populated by Oscar nominees.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Tilda Swinton.
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Most obviously is the titular Dr. Stephen Strange, who was played by two-time nominee Benedict Cumberbatch — he was nominated for "The Imitation Game" in 2015 and "The Power of the Dog" in 2022.
His love interest, Christine Palmer, was played by Rachel McAdams, who was nominated in 2016 for "Spotlight."
His frenemy Mordo was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who received a nomination in 2014 for "12 Years a Slave."
Last but certainly not least was his mentor, the Ancient One, played by Tilda Swinton, who won in 2008 for her performance in "Michael Clayton."
Three-time Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone played Stakar Ogord, or Starhawk, in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."
Sylvester Stallone.
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Stallone has the rare honor of being nominated twice for playing the same character. First, he was nominated for playing boxer Rocky Balboa in "Rocky" in 1977. Thirty-nine years later, in 2016, he was nominated for playing Rocky again in "Creed."
Stallone was also nominated for the screenplay of "Rocky."
The main villain of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton. But did you know the AI in Peter's suit is voiced by an Academy Award winner?
Michael Keaton and Jennifer Connelly.
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Keaton played Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, in "Homecoming." His lone Oscar nomination is also avian in nature — he was nominated in 2015 for "Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)."
When Peter, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, gets his own tricked-out suit from his mentor Tony Stark, it comes with its own AI. Peter chooses to name her Karen.
Karen is voiced by none other than Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly, who won in 2002 for her performance in "A Beautiful Mind."
Fun fact: Connelly's husband is Paul Bettany, the voice of JARVIS/Vision, another Marvel AI.
In "Thor: Ragnarok," the villain is played by two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. But she's not the only one with some hardware in the cast.
Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Taika Waititi, and Jeff Goldblum.
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Blanchett played Hela, the goddess of hell, and Thor and Loki's long-lost sister. In her career, she's received six nominations and won twice: first in 2005 for playing Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator," (making her an Oscar winner for playing an Oscar winner) and then again in 2014 for "Blue Jasmine."
Jeff Goldblum also joined the MCU in "Ragnarok" as the dictatorial leader of a planet called Sakaar. Goldblum's Oscar nomination came for directing the short film "Little Surprises" in 1996.
Director Taika Waititi also has a role in this film, playing a rock creature called Korg. Waititi won an Oscar for his screenplay of "Jojo Rabbit" in 2020. He was also nominated as a producer for best picture.
Most hilariously is the cameo Matt Damon made as an actor playing Loki in a hilarious play depicting the events of the MCU thus far.
Damon is also an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, as he won in 1998 for co-writing "Good Will Hunting." He was also nominated for his acting in the film, as well as in 2010 for "Invictus" and 2016 for "The Martian." He also produced "Manchester by the Sea," earning an additional nomination for best picture in 2017.
"Black Panther" made MCU history when it became the first Marvel film to be nominated for best picture. With this much talent in the cast, it makes sense.
Lupita Nyong'o, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Sterling K. Brown.
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In addition to the previously nominated Chadwick Bosman, the rest of the cast included legends and highly respected actors.
T'Challa's love interest, Nakia, was played by Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Oscar in 2014 for "12 Years a Slave."
T'Challa's best friend, W'Kabi, was played by Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya. He was recognized for his performance in "Judas and the Black Messiah" in 2021. He had previously been nominated in 2018 for "Get Out."
T'Challa's mother and queen of Wakanda, Ramonda, was played by Angela Bassett. She was nominated first in 1994 for "What's Love Got to Do With It," but she later made history in 2023 by becoming the first actor to be nominated for their performance in an MCU movie after the release of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" in 2022.
After Bassett lost in 2022, she received an honorary award in 2024.
But that's not all! T'Challa's father figure, Zuri, was played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, who was awarded in 2007 for "The Last King of Scotland."
Finally, T'Challa's Uncle N'Jobu was played by Sterling K. Brown, who received his first nomination for "American Fiction" in 2024.
Josh Brolin made his first credited appearance as Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War."
Josh Brolin and Kenneth Branagh.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Brolin had appeared in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" before this film, but "Infinity War" was the first real look viewers got of Thanos, the biggest bad of the MCU to date.
Brolin had been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Milk" in 2009.
Kenneth Branagh, Oscar winner for the screenplay of "Belfast," among many other nominations, and director of "Thor," also made an uncredited cameo as the voice behind a distress call at the beginning of the film.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne joined the MCU in "Ant-Man and the Wasp."
Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne.
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After being mentioned in "Ant-Man," Hank Pym's wife, Janet Van Dyne, was played by three-time nominee Pfeiffer in the sequel three years later. Her nominations came from "Dangerous Liaisons" in 1989, "The Fabulous Baker Boys" in 1990, and "Love Field" in 1993.
Hank's frenemy Bill Foster (also known to comics fans as Goliath) was played by Laurence Fishburne, who was nominated in 1994 for "What's Love Got to Do With It."
The titular Captain Marvel was played by Oscar winner Brie Larson. Other nominees joined her in the cast.
Brie Larson, Jude Law, and Annette Bening.
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Perhaps the most powerful person in the MCU, Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers has been played by Larson since 2019. She won an Oscar in 2016 for portraying a kidnapped young woman in "Room."
She was joined by five-time nominee Annette Bening, who had a dual role in the film as Mar-Vell, Carol's mentor, and the human representation of an AI known as the Supreme Intelligence. Bening picked up her fifth nomination last year for "Nyad," after previous nominations for "The Grifters" in 1991, "American Beauty" in 2000, "Being Julia" in 2005, and "The Kids Are All Right" in 2011.
Carol's Kree mentor Yon-Rogg was played by Jude Law, who has been nominated twice in his career: for "The Talented Mr. Ripley" in 2000 and "Cold Mountain" in 2004.
Jake Gyllenhaal and J. K. Simmons were cast in "Spider-Man: Far From Home."
Jake Gyllenhaal and J.K. Simmons.
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Gyllenhaal played illusionist Quentin Beck, or Mysterio, in the film. He had been nominated in 2006 for "Brokeback Mountain."
Simmons reprised his role as J. Jonah Jameson from the original Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" trilogy. In between those films wrapping up and this one, he won an Academy Award in 2015 for "Whiplash." He received another nod in 2022 for "Being the Ricardos."
In "Black Widow," we met two more highly accomplished assassins, played by Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz.
Florence Pugh and Rachel Weisz.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; AMPAS/WireImage/Getty Images
To match Scarlett Johansson's nominations, Marvel cast two equally formidable actors to play her adopted sister, Yelena, and mother, Melina.
Yelena was played by Pugh, who was nominated in 2020 for "Little Women."
Melina was played by Weisz, who won in 2006 for "The Constant Gardener," and was nominated again in 2019 for "The Favourite."
"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" made history as the first MCU movie about an Asian superhero, so they pulled out the big guns with Michelle Yeoh.
Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu.
MICHAEL TRAN/AFP/Getty Images; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Yeoh was already an icon before her 2023 win for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but it certainly was the cherry on top of an illustrious career — one that included playing Shang-Chi's aunt Ying Nan.
But did you know that Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is also in this movie?
Hsu, who was nominated for playing the daughter of Yeoh's character in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," has a small scene at the end of the film as the disbelieving friend of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina).
Five of the 10 Eternals have been nominated for Oscars.
Angelina Jolie, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, and Mahershala Ali.
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In alphabetical order: Angelina Jolie (Thena) won in 2000 for "Girl, Interrupted" and was nominated in 2009 for "The Changeling," and also received a humanitarian award in 2014; Barry Keoghan (Druig) was nominated in 2023 for "The Banshees of Inisherin"; Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos) was nominated in 2023 for "Causeway"; Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo) was nominated in 2018 for co-writing the screenplay of "The Big Sick"; and Salma Hayek (Ajak) was nominated in 2003 for "Frida."
Mahershala Ali also had a voice-only cameo in this film's post-credits scene as Blade, who will (hopefully) one day be the star of his own film. Ali has won two Oscars: first in 2017 for "Moonlight" and then in 2019 for "Green Book."
Since "Spider-Man: No Way Home" brought in characters from different universes, multiple Oscar nominees were pulled into the film.
Andrew Garfield, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, and Tom Hardy.
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First, another version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, played by Andrew Garfield in "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its sequel, made his triumphant return in this movie. Garfield has been twice nominated for performances in "Hacksaw Ridge" in 2017 and "Tick, Tick…Boom!" in 2022.
One of the villains from "Amazing Spider-Man 2" was Electro, played by Jamie Foxx. Foxx was nominated twice in one year, winning for his performance in "Ray" in 2005, and settling for just a nomination for "Collateral."
Willem Dafoe reprised his role as the Green Goblin from 2002's "Spider-Man." Across his career, Dafoe has been nominated for Oscars four times: in 1987 for "Platoon," in 2001 for "Shadow of the Vampire," in 2018 for "The Florida Project," and in 2019 for "At Eternity's Gate."
Thomas Haden Church popped up as Sandman, reprising the role from "Spider-Man 3" in 2007. He was nominated in 2005 for his performance in "Sideways."
Finally, Tom Hardy made a brief post-credits cameo as Eddie Brock/Venom, the star of his own trilogy from 2018 to 2024. Hardy was nominated for best supporting actor in 2016 for "The Revenant."
Charlize Theron had a post-credits cameo in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
Charlize Theron.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Theron was introduced as Stephen Strange's future love interest, Clea, in the post-credit scene.
Fans were excited, as Theron is a high-caliber actor, with two Oscar nominations ("North Country" in 2006 and "Bombshell" in 2020) and a win ("Monster" in 2004) to her name.
Three more Oscar nominees joined the MCU in "Thor: Love and Thunder."
Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, and Melissa McCarthy.
Ian West/PA Images/Getty Images; Kevin Winter/Getty Images; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Of the three additions, Christian Bale as Gorr the God-Butcher is the most significant as the film's main antagonist.
Bale is no stranger to superhero films, as he famously played Batman in three films. He also has real acting cred, with a 2011 Academy Award win for "The Fighter" and three additional noms in 2014 ("American Hustle"), 2016 ("The Big Short"), and 2019 ("Vice").
A secondary antagonist was Zeus, played by Russell Crowe, also a convert from DC movies. He played Jor-El, Superman's dad, in "Man of Steel." Crowe has also won an Oscar, in 2001 for "Gladiator." He was previously nominated in 2000 for "The Insider," and in 2002 for "A Beautiful Mind."
Following in Matt Damon's footsteps was Melissa McCarthy, who appeared in the play-inside-the-movie as an actor playing Hela in a reenactment of the events of "Ragnarok." McCarthy has been nominated for Oscars twice: in 2012 for "Bridesmaids" and in 2019 for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" introduced Bill Murray to the MCU.
Bill Murray.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Murray had a small role as the ex-friend — and perhaps more — of Janet Van Dyne while she was trapped in the Quantum Realm.
The actor was nominated in 2004 for his performance in "Lost in Translation."
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" introduced an Oscar nominee as the voice of a dog.
Maria Bakalova.
Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images
Cosmo the Spacedog was voiced by Maria Bakalova, who was nominated for her performance in 2020's "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm."
Two Oscar winners joined the MCU in "Deadpool & Wolverine," though you might only be aware of one.
Hugh Jackman and Matthew McConaughey.
JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images; Jason Merritt/Getty Images
After Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, it was only a matter of time before Deadpool made his way into the MCU. But as the title suggested, he wasn't alone. Instead, he was joined by Hugh Jackman, reprising his role as Logan, aka Wolverine, one of the most popular comic-book performances of all time.
But Jackman doesn't just play gruff Canadian superheroes. In 2013, he was nominated for an Oscar for playing Jean Valjean in "Les Misérables."
"Deadpool & Wolverine" was filled to the brim with cameos, but one of the quicker ones was Matthew McConaughey voicing a cowboy variant of Deadpool, complete with a hat, boots, spurs, and a Texan drawl, aptly named Cowboypool.
McConaughey won an Oscar in 2014 for his performance in "Dallas Buyers Club."
After the death of William Hurt, the role of Thunderbolt Ross was recast with Harrison Ford in 2025's "Captain America: Brave New World."
Harrison Ford.
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
Ford, somehow, has only been nominated for one Academy Award in his decadeslong career: for the 1985 film "Witness."
The Disney+ shows also cast highly talented people. In the cast of "Loki" alone, there are two Oscar nominees and one winner.
Owen Wilson, Richard E. Grant, and Ke Huy Quan.
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In the first season of "Loki," viewers were introduced to time traveler extraordinaire Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, who received a nomination in 2002 for co-writing the screenplay of "The Royal Tenenbaums."
We also met a variant of Loki played by Richard E. Grant, who was nominated in 2019 for his performance in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Season two added newly minted Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros (or OB). He won in 2023 for his performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
The animated series "What If...?" was narrated by Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright.
Jeffrey Wright.
Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Wright voiced the omnipotent narrator, the Watcher, in the series. He was nominated for the first time in 2024 for his performance in "American Fiction."
When "Hawkeye" premiered on Disney+, it was clear that the torch was getting passed from one nominee to another.
Hailee Steinfeld and Vera Farmiga.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images
The original Hawkeye, Clint Barton, was played by two-time nominee Jeremy Renner. Over the course of the show, he bonded with a protégé, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld.
Steinfeld was 13 years old when she landed her Oscar-nominated role in 2010's "True Grit."
Bishop's mother, Eleanor, was played by Vera Farmiga, who was nominated in 2010 for "Up in the Air."
Ethan Hawke played the villainous Arthur Darrow in the mind-bending "Moon Knight."
Ethan Hawke.
Jason Merritt/Getty Images/Getty Images
Moon Knight stopped Arthur Darrow on his quest to bring Egyptian gods back to Earth to judge humanity.
Hawke has been equally thwarted on his quest for a little gold statue. He's been nominated four times — for acting in 2001's "Training Day" and 2014's "Boyhood," and for co-writing the screenplays of 2004's "Before Sunset" and 2013's "Before Midnight" — but has never won.
Not even Olivia Colman could save "Secret Invasion."
Olivia Colman.
Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic/Getty Images
"Secret Invasion" was an almost entirely skippable Disney+ series despite its very talented cast, which included Oscar winner Olivia Colman as a British secret agent.
In addition to her 2019 Oscar win for "The Favourite," Colman was also nominated in 2021 and 2022 for "The Father" and "The Lost Daughter," respectively.
Graham Greene joined the MCU in "Echo."
Graham Greene.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Capital Concert
"Echo" was an (at this point) underrated Disney+ series released in the beginning of 2024. Greene played Skully, a grandfatherly figure to our protagonist, Maya.
Greene was nominated for best supporting actor in 1991 for his performance in "Dances With Wolves."
Colman Domingo voices Norman Osborn in "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."
Colman Domingo.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello/Pool/Getty Images
Two-time Academy Award nominee Domingo voices an alternate version of Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, in this Disney+ animated series about the first days of Spider-Man's vigilante career.
Domingo was nominated in 2024 and 2025 for his performances in "Rustin" and "Sing Sing," respectively.
Now for the projects that haven't been released yet but have confirmed casts. First, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."
Vanessa Kirby and John Malkovich.
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Vanessa Kirby, nominated in 2021 for her role in "Pieces of a Woman," will play Sue Storm, aka Invisible Woman.
She's joined by Emmy winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), SAG Award winner Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch).
Another member of the cast — though we don't know who he's playing yet — is John Malkovich. Malkovich was nominated in 1985 for "Places in the Heart" and in 1994 for "In the Line of Fire."
At some point in 2025, "Ironheart" will be released on Disney+, starring Oscar nominee Sacha Baron Cohen.
Sacha Baron Cohen.
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It's not been officially confirmed who Cohen will be playing in "Ironheart," but there's heavy speculation he'll be playing a certain devilish character who was teased way back in "WandaVision."
Cohen has been nominated for three Academy Awards: for the screenplays of "Borat" and "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," and for acting in "The Trial of the Chicago 7."
We don't know exactly who Ed Harris is playing in "Wonder Man," but we're excited.
Ed Harris.
SGranitz/WireImage/Getty Images
Harris has been nominated for four Academy Awards: in 1996 for "Apollo 13," in 1999 for "The Truman Show," in 2001 for "Pollock," and in 2003 for "The Hours."
The first cast, to many people, remains the best of all time.
"Saturday Night Live" remains one of the most iconic institutions in TV history. For decades, it has been the goal of many a comedian to grace the halls of Studio 8H and scream "Live from New York, it's Saturday night."
This all started 50 years ago with a group known as the "Not Ready for Primetime Players," the first cast of "Saturday Night Live," along with writers, creator Lorne Michaels, and early replacement Bill Murray.
Keep scrolling to see vintage photos of "SNL" in its earliest days — and what some would call its best days.
"Saturday Night Live" premiered on October 11, 1975.
Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris.
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
The first cast consisted of Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, George Coe, and Garrett Morris. They were called the "Not Ready for Primetime Players."
The show's creator, Lorne Michaels, has been with the show since the beginning, barring a brief hiatus in the '80s.
Lorne Michaels in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Michaels created the show and was originally a writer and producer. Barring his hiatus in the '80s between seasons six and 10, Michaels has been with the show since its inception. Its 50th season is airing this year, and there are no signs of him or the show slowing down.
Here's a peek at what it looked like behind the curtain in NBC's control room in the '70s.
The "SNL" control room in 1978.
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
"SNL" is exactly what it's advertised to be: live. That's why, sometimes, the show has aired people cursing accidentally (or on purpose, in the case of Charlie Rocket). The control room is there to oversee everything.
The very first host of the show was none other than comedic legend George Carlin.
Plenty of other comedic legends have passed through the halls of Studio 8H, like Richard Pryor.
Host Richard Pryor during the monologue in 1975.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Pryor hosted "SNL" just once, but left his mark forever. He took part in one of SNL's most controversial sketches of all time, the word association sketch with Chevy Chase.
Here, you can see Desi Arnaz, along with Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase, rehearsing for his debut on the show.
Gilda Radner, Desi Arnaz, and Chevy Chase during rehearsal for "The Untouchables" sketch in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Arnaz, of course, is known for "I Love Lucy."
Beloved comedian Steve Martin has also stopped by a fair number of times through the show's five decades.
Gilda Radner, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray in 1978.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
To be exact, Martin has hosted the show a whopping 16 times, putting him behind only Alec Baldwin as the show's most frequent host.
But what really made "Saturday Night Live" the powerhouse it is today was the original cast and their iconic sketches, like the Coneheads.
Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, and Laraine Newman in "The Coneheads."
Warner Bros./Getty Images
The Coneheads, an alien family trying to assimilate into American culture, was one of the show's first smash successes. It was turned into a movie in 1993 with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin reprising their roles.
The Killer Bees was another recurring sketch that was popular during the show's first seasons.
John Belushi, in a bumble bee costume, at the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink.
Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images
The Killer Bees was the first-ever sketch to recur on "SNL," after it debuted in the first episode of the show. The humor almost entirely consisted of puns about bee anatomy.
"The only note we got from the network on the first show was 'Cut the bees.' And so I made sure I put them in the next show," said creator Lorne Michaels, according to "Live From New York," a 2002 book about the show's history.
Even the hosts got involved with the bees — here's host Candice Bergen participating with the cast.
Candice Bergen skated with the bees for a sketch.
Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images
Bergen has hosted the show five times.
Another popular sketch that was turned into a movie? The Blues Brothers, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.
Dan Aykroyd as Elwood Blues and John Belushi as Jake Blues in 1978.
Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The Blues Brothers were even a musical guest on the show as time went on. They released an album in 1978 and a film, "The Blues Brothers," in 1980.
After Belushi's death, there was a sequel in 1998, "Blues Brothers 2000," with John Goodman taking over Belushi's spot.
The longest-running sketch in the show's history is Weekend Update, a spoof on network news shows. It's still a weekly fixture.
Jane Curtin and Chevy Chase on Weekend Update in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Chevy Chase was the first to host the segment. The current Weekend Update hosts are Colin Jost and Michael Che.
But not everything about the first season worked. During the first few episodes, Jim Henson created sketches with the Muppets.
Jim Henson's Muppets during the "Ploobis and Scred Get Drunk" sketch in 1975.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
"NBC was so scared of what Lorne ... was doing that they insisted on Jim Henson and the Muppets [to] soften it," Bernie Brillstein, Henson's manager, told Salon in 2013. "In the first contract for 'SNL,' there were three essential factors. Lorne Michaels, Jim Henson and the Muppets, and Albert Brooks's [short] films."
However, Henson and his creations only lasted for a season.
The show's first breakout star was Chevy Chase.
Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner during the "National Uvula Association" commercial in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Chase hosted Weekend Update, appeared frequently in sketches, and was the first person to ever utter the phrase, "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"
But Chase was also the first person to leave the show — he left Studio 8H behind just over a year after the show debuted.
Ron Nessen and Chevy Chase during a 1976 rehearsal.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Chase left at the beginning of the second season, though he returned several times over the years. He even appeared in the 40th and 50th anniversary specials.
Although Chase left, the show still became a phenomenon.
Hopeful audience members lined up to get tickets in 1978.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
To get tickets to "SNL," you can either enter the lottery and wait to see if you win, or you can camp out outside the studio and try your luck with rush tickets, like these gentlemen.
Other cast members also became breakout stars — most famously John Belushi.
Kris Kristofferson as himself and John Belushi as Samurai Futaba during a 1976 sketch.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Belushi remained part of the cast until 1979, when left to focus on a movie career.
Belushi was one of the most beloved cast members in the show's history.
Stephen Bishop and John Belushi in 1978.
Michael Putland/Getty Images
Belushi died in 1982 of an overdose. He was 33.
Here's Belushi with host Gary Busey in 1979.
John Belushi and Gary Busey in 1979.
Fred Bronson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Busey only hosted the one time, in 1979.
But while Belushi's comedic chops can't be denied, he had a more complicated relationship with his female costars.
John Belushi and Jane Curtin in the 1970s.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
"There were a few people that just out-and-out believe that women should not have been there and they believe that women were not innately funny," said Jane Curtin on a 2018 episode of "Watch What Happens Live." She added that he thought that "women should not be there."
But we beg to differ. The first ladies of "SNL," Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, and Jane Curtin were, and are, some of the funniest cast members in "SNL" history.
Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, and Jane Curtain in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The show would not be what it is today without the contributions of these three women.
Gilda Radner was known for her recurring characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna.
Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Jane Curtin, the first female anchor of Weekend Update, did say she knew that John Belushi thought Radner was funny during "Watch What Happens Live." "He thought Gilda was funny, but she really — he didn't classify her as a woman. She was Gilda," she said.
Murray and Radner also dated off-screen during their "SNL" tenure.
Bill Murray and Gilda Radner in 1979.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Radner died in 1989 due to ovarian cancer. There's a legend that, at Laraine Newman's 35th birthday party in 1987, Murray carried around Radner so that everyone could say goodbye to her.
"[Murray] was the one to carry the tired, terminally ill Gilda Radner, the first true breakout superstar of the group, round and round the house, prolonging her departure from the party with everyone saying goodbye a hundred times, not knowing it would be their last," wrote Little White Lies' Rebecca Nicole Williams.
As the decade closed, more and more people began appearing on screen, like future senator Al Franken and Tom Davis.
Al Franken and Tom Davis during the "Franken and Davis Show" in 1979.
Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Both Franken and Davis were writers on the show who would occasionally appear on screen. When Lorne Michaels left in 1980, neither stuck with the show.
Davis never returned as a cast member, but when Michaels returned to the show, so did Franken. He remained from 1985 through 1995.
Here's Harry Shearer, who joined the show in 1979, alongside host Martin Sheen, and cast members Laraine Newman and Bill Murray.
Harry Shearer, Martin Sheen, Laraine Newman, and Bill Murray in 1979.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Shearer was on two separate seasons: 1979-1980 and 1984-1985.
"Lorne set things up as a zero-sum game," Shearer told Grantland in 2014. "If someone gets air time, that's an incursion on somebody else's chance at air time. As opposed to fostering a cooperative and collaborative atmosphere, a competitive atmosphere is fostered. So I don't think anybody worried too much about what was happening to the new guy. That's not a comment on [the cast members], that's a comment on the system."
Don't worry, we haven't forgotten the final piece of what makes "SNL" special: the music.
Members of the "Saturday Night Live" band in 1979.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Musical legend Paul Shaffer was one of the first leaders of the "SNL" band.
Plenty of musical legends have walked the halls of 30 Rock, especially in the '70s. Here's Willie Nelson during one of the earliest seasons.
Willie Nelson on "Saturday Night Live."
Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images
Nelson has appeared on the show a few times, including to host and perform in 1987.
Here's George Harrison and Paul Simon in 1976.
George Harrison and Paul Simon performed on "SNL" together.
Richard E. Aaron/Redferns/Getty Images
While the Beatles famously never appeared on "SNL," Harrison stopped by in 1976 to duet with Simon, who has frequently pulled double duty on the show — that is, he's been the host and the musical guest.
Another legend to perform on "SNL" was Ray Charles.
Musical guest Ray Charles performed in 1977.
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Charles also pulled double duty during his 1977 appearance.
One of the biggest rock stars of all time, David Bowie, also graced the stage of Studio 8H in 1979.
Musical guest David Bowie performed in 1979.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Performing in December of that year, he just made it within the '70s.
As the years pass, every generation claims that "their" cast of the show is the best ...
Producer Lorne Michaels, Jane Curtin, and Dan Aykroyd during Weekend Update rehearsal in 1977.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
It's a contentious battle.
... but those who can claim the cast members of the '70s probably have the best case.
Garrett Morris, Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, and Steve Martin rehearsed for the "The David Susskind Show" in 1979.
Fred Hermansky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
It's easy to find these debates online. Rolling Stone ranked every single cast member back in 2015.
What we know for sure is that without the magic of the Not Ready for Primetime Players, "SNL" wouldn't be celebrating 50 years on TV.
Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and Bill Murray in 1978.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
"SNL 50" aired on Sunday on Peacock and NBC with live musical performances, sketches, and new jokes. Former cast members including Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris also made appearances.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler played Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton in multiple sketches.
Dana Edelson/AP
Over the 50 seasons of "Saturday Night Live," thousands of sketches have been performed.
We've picked the 46 most memorable sketches or characters in the show's history.
The Blues Brothers and Wayne and Garth got movies out of their sketches.
Not every "SNL" sketch can become iconic, since there have been so many of them. That's what makes these sketches so important: They've stuck around in the public consciousness for years, sometimes decades.
Some have become so popular that they've received film adaptations, made frequent appearances on the show — some so frequent that they had to be retired — or become full-blown memes.
Ahead of the 50th anniversary special of "SNL" this weekend, we picked our favorites, from Buckwheat to Opera Man to Gilly to Domingo.
"The Coneheads" was one of the very first iconic "SNL" sketches. The premise? A bunch of aliens with cone-shaped heads trying to live on Earth.
The Coneheads.
NBC
The Conehead family even received their own movie in 1993, called "Coneheads." It starred the original performers, Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.
"I can see Russia from my house!" With that one sentence, this sketch starring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton cemented its place in comedy history.
Tina Fey as Gov. Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Sen. Hillary Clinton in a 2008 sketch.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
It's easy to forget that Fey had left the cast of "SNL" three years prior to this 2008 sketch — her impression is just that inseparable from her "SNL" career. Fey went on to reprise the role multiple times over the season, and she won an Emmy for her work.
"Mister Robinson's Neighborhood" starred Eddie Murphy as a crude version of Mr. Rogers, teaching kids about what it was like to live in a rougher part of town.
Eddie Murphy as Mr. Robinson in 1982.
Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Mister Robinson was one of Murphy's iconic characters that he reprised when he returned to host the show in December 2019.
Looking for some tips on exploring New York City's hottest clubs? Look no further than Stefon, played by Bill Hader.
Bill Hader as Stefon in 2018.
Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Notorious for breaking on camera, Hader incorporated covering his face with his hands into the character so he could subtly laugh at the ridiculous things that Stefon would say — made worse by the fact that Hader's friend and writer John Mulaney would switch up the lines last minute to make Hader crack up.
"Wayne's World" appeared over 20 times throughout "SNL" history, with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth hosting a public access TV show in their basement.
Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar in a 'Wayne's World' sketch in 1991.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Wayne and Garth became so popular that the sketch spawned two movies, and brought many phrases into our cultural lexicon, including "Excellent," "We're not worthy," "Schwing," and "That's what she said."
The Blues Brothers, played by Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, are still popular today.
The Blues Brothers.
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
The Blues Brothers also received their own movie in 1980 and a sequel 18 years later, "Blues Brothers 2000."
On "SNL," the sketch involved Aykroyd and Belushi just getting on stage and performing blues music while wearing their trademark suits and sunglasses. The movie was a bit more high-concept, adding a criminal element and a plan to help the orphanage they grew up in.
A wedding crasher named Domingo took the internet by storm in 2024.
Sarah Sherman, Ariana Grande, Marcello Hernández as Domingo, Chloe Fineman as Kelsey, and Heidi Gardner during the "Bridesmaid Speech" sketch in 2024.
NBC/Will Heath/NBC/Getty Images
What do you get when you combine Ariana Grande singing off-key on purpose, the smash hit of 2024 that was "Espresso," and the infinite charms of Marcello Hernández? You get this sketch, which introduced us all to the one, the only, Domingo. He even made an appearance at a Sabrina Carpenter concert!
Nick the Lounge Singer, played by Bill Murray, will forever be legendary for giving the "Star Wars" theme lyrics.
Bill Murray as Nick The Lounge Singer in a 1980 sketch.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Nick, a lounge singer, appeared 12 times across 10 years of "SNL," and always with a different last name depending on his surroundings — he was "Nick Slammer" for a performance in prison, "Nick Rails" for a performance on a train, "Nick Winters" at a ski resort, etc.
The best way to spot an "SNL" fan is to shout "more cowbell" into a crowd, and see who laughs.
Chris Kattan as Buck Dharma, Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle, Chris Parnell as Eric Bloom during "Behind the Music" in 2000.
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
This sketch, which parodied MTV's "Behind the Music," has become one of the most famous — and perhaps overexposed — sketches in the show's history. After seeing Will Ferrell's tiny shirt, Jimmy Fallon constantly breaking, and Christopher Walken demanding more cowbell, we can't hear "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" the same way again.
Mary Katherine Gallagher, played by Molly Shannon, is an extremely emotional and volatile caricature of a Catholic school girl.
Molly Shannon as Mary Katherine Gallagher and Tina Turner during a 1997 sketch.
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Mary Katherine's most famous tic was, of course, sticking her hands under her armpits and smelling them whenever she got nervous. She was also prone to showing off her underwear and falling a lot. She reprised her role in the movie "Superstar."
"Black Jeopardy!" is a recurring sketch hosted by Kenan Thompson as Darnell Hayes, where the categories vary, except for one: White People.
Kenan Thompson as Darnell Hayes during "Black Jeopardy" in 2018.
Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
This isn't the first "SNL" sketch to make fun of "Jeopardy!" — more on that later — but it has created some iconic moments in recent history, such as Tom Hanks appearing as a Trump supporter, and Chadwick Boseman in character as T'Challa, aka Black Panther.
"The Californians" is an extremely niche Los Angeles-based spoof of a soap opera, in which everyone can't stop talking about highways.
Fred Armisen as Stuart, Cecily Strong as Sumner, Bill Hader as Devon, Kenan Thompson, and Alex Moffat during "The Californians" in 2018.
Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The Californians were made up of Stuart (Fred Armisen), Karina (Kristen Wiig), Devon (Bill Hader), plus various other cast members and hosts who wanted to join in. All of the characters speak with a thick Valley Girl accent, making it hard to understand anything they say, especially when they're upset, which is always.
The Californians were so beloved that the "cast" reunited for a Volkswagen ad in 2025, 13 years after it first debuted in 2012.
Perhaps the most iconic "SNL" sketch of all time, Chris Farley played Matt Foley, a motivational speaker who cautioned kids about living in a van down by the river.
Chris Farley as Matt Foley, a motivational speaker, during a 1993 episode.
NBC
While Farley played the character numerous other times, the "Down by the River" sketch remains the gold standard of "SNL" comedy.
"The Delicious Dish" was a recurring NPR sketch, but the most famous segment included Alec Baldwin talking about his "Schweddy Balls."
Ana Gasteyer as Margaret Jo McCullin, Molly Shannon as Terry Rialto, and Alec Baldwin as Pete Schweddy during "The Delicious Dish" sketch in 1998.
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
How impactful was this sketch? Ben & Jerry's named an entire ice cream flavor after it, and Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon reprised the characters in a 2024 commercial for Capital One.
Natalie Portman's squeaky-clean image was challenged by these two sketches of her rapping about snorting heroin, having sex, and cheating on tests.
Natalie Portman during "Natalie's 2nd Rap" in 2018.
Rosalind O'Connor/NBC/Getty Images
Portman has rapped twice on "SNL" — both sketches are equally iconic, and spawned plenty of GIFs in their days. The sketch is so beloved that when she did it again, Andy Samberg made a cameo years after he had left the show.
The Vogelchecks were a particularly loving family — everyone greeted each other with long, tongue-filled kisses.
Vanessa Bayer as Amanda, Paul Rudd as Austin Vogelcheck, Bill Hader as Dwayne Vogelcheck, Fred Armisen as Mr. Vogelcheck, and Kristen Wiig as Mrs. Vogelcheck.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Sometimes, all you need for a laugh is a bunch of kissing and some close family relations.
Bowen Yang has made many iconic appearances on Weekend Update, but our favorite was as The Iceberg That Sank the Titanic.
Bowen Yang as The Iceberg That Sank The Titanic and anchor Colin Jost during Weekend Update in 2021.
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
When Yang joined the cast of "SNL" in 2019, we knew a star was born.
His performance as the Iceberg That Sunk the Titanic, choosing to play the Iceberg as a new pop queen who just wanted to promote their "hyperpop EDM new disco fantasia" album, was, in a word, inspired.
There's a reason Yang became the first featured player to be nominated for an Emmy after this season aired.
Colonel Angus is notorious among "SNL" fans for its double entendre.
Rachel Dratch as Annabelle, Chris Parnell as Father, Christopher Walken as Colonel Angus, and Amy Poehler as Melinda during the "Colonel Angus" sketch.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Colonel Angus, played by Christopher Walken, is returning home from the Civil War in this sketch, and everyone's excited to see him. We can't say more, for fear of ruining the jokes.
The Czech-born Festrunk brothers are just two wild and crazy guys.
Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin as the "two wild and crazy guys" in 1978.
NBC Television/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin played Yortuk and Georg Festrunk, respectively, two Czech brothers who were desperately looking for dates — or foxes, to use their word.
Just say the name "HR Pickens" around any "SNL" fan and they'll go right into their best Abraham H. Parnassus impression.
Melissa Villaseñor as Samantha, Pete Davidson as Mortecai, and Adam Driver as Abraham H. Parnassus during "Career Day" in 2018.
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
What makes Adam Driver a great "SNL" host is that he commits to any bit he's asked to do — and we mean any. Just look at "Career Day," in which he plays the ancient father to elementary school student Mortecai (Pete Davidson), and goes on a rant for the ages about defeating his mortal enemy, HR Pickens.
Davidson, understandably, dissolves into a fit of giggles, but don't miss Melissa Villaseñor as the only student in the class who's fully on Abraham's level.
You might have forgotten that "The Hanukkah Song" originated on "SNL."
Norm MacDonald during Adam Sandler's performance of "The Hanukkah Song" on Weekend Update in `1994.
Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
There have been many iterations of "The Hanukkah Song," including the one sung in "Eight Crazy Nights" and a 2015 version. But the original debuted on a 1994 episode of "SNL," made for kids who felt left out during the holiday season and reminding them of all the Jewish celebrities.
One of the most enduring images in "SNL" history is that of Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley writhing around on stage at a Chippendales audition.
Patrick Swayze as Adrian and Chris Farley as Barney during "Chippendales Audition."
Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
This originally aired in 1990, and it's bittersweet to watch now, as both actors died before their time — we can only hope that they're somewhere together dancing along to "Working for the Weekend."
Is that "Hide and Seek" we hear? No, it's just "Dear Sister," the sketch that launched a thousand memes.
Andy Samberg in "Dear Sister."
NBC
This absurd sketch was inspired by a scene from "The OC," in which Marissa (Mischa Barton), shot the brother of her on-screen love interest, all set to "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap.
Of course, The Lonely Island took it to another level, writing a sketch in which everyone gets shot multiple times, and each gunshot restarts the song. "Mmm, whatcha say?" will never be the same.
Garth and Kat's freewheeling singing about the holidays never gets old.
Michael Che, Kristen Wiig as Kat, and Fred Armisen as Garth during Weekend Update in 2014.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Wiig and Armisen are an unstoppable duo, proven most by their frequent collaboration as Garth & Kat, a duo that seemingly only sings improvised holiday songs. You simply never know where they're going to go. It's one of the few truly improvised bits on the show, which Wiig told Movieline she appreciates.
"[Armisen] definitely starts and I just try to follow. We don't rehearse. The first time we do it that week is literally at the dress rehearsal," she said.
"It's the most fun I have because so much of the show is writing, working, deadlines, trying to figure things out, punching up your sketch, knowing you're going to perform live. And that two and a half minutes of airtime is so freeing and fun."
Kate McKinnon's Colleen Rafferty has traveled through time, met aliens, and met ghosts.
Kate McKinnon as Colleen Rafferty, Ryan Gosling as Todd, and Cecily Strong during "Another Close Encounter" in 2017.
Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Unfortunately for her though, she seems to have a much rougher time than her peers who have also gone through these experiences, and she usually ends up flashing everyone.
"Tiny Horse" is both a completely absurd idea and entirely too catchy to just be a parody song on "SNL." We're so happy we got to see Tiny Horse's story continue in "Giant Horse." If you get it, you get it.
"Word Association," starring Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase, showed audiences how far "SNL" was willing to go for a laugh.
Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor in "Word Association."
NBC
In the sketch, the two play the common word association game where one person says a word or phrase, and the other person responds with the first thing they can think of. It starts off harmlessly until Chase begins saying racially charged terms, ending with the N-word — and Pryor's response is something to behold.
Before "Cheer," the most famous cheerleaders were the Spartans, starring Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri.
Will Ferrell as Craig Buchanan, Cheri Oteri as Arianna, and Jim Carrey as Lochmiel during "Wrestling Tournament" in 1996.
Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The cheerleaders would appear at various sporting events that didn't necessarily require cheerleaders, like chess or wrestling. They'd pep it up the only way they knew how: screaming.
"Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches starring Will Ferrell as a beleaguered Alex Trebek and Darrell Hammond as a cheeky Sean Connery were always a classic.
Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek and Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery during "Celebrity Jeopardy."
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
While the other cast of characters changed depending on impressions and hosts, Ferrell's Trebek and Hammond's Connery remained constant, as was their adversarial relationship. Poor Alex.
The film "A Night at the Roxbury" was based on this sketch starring Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan as two brothers who really loved "What Is Love?"
Chris Kattan as Doug Butabi, Jim Carrey, and Will Ferrell as Steve Butabi during "The Roxbury Guys" in 1996.
Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
The Roxbury Guys, as they were called, famously had a head-bobbing dance that everyone tried to replicate in the '90s, but couldn't, because normal people don't have rubber necks like they seemed to.
Lisa from Temecula made everyone else in the sketch break.
Bowen Yang, Molly Kearney, host Pedro Pascal, Ego Nwodim as Lisa from Temecula, and Punkie Johnson during the "Lisa from Temecula" sketch in 2023.
NBC/Will Heath/NBC/Getty Images
Your mileage may vary on how annoying it is when castmembers giggle during a sketch, but there was no denying the hilarity of Ego Nwodim's performance as Lisa from Temecula who, when asked if she's being told to be quiet because she's Black, made Bowen Yang throw his fork on the table in defeat.
Roseanne Roseannadanna was Gilda Radner's most famous character.
Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna during Weekend Update in 1976.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Roseannadanna was supposed to be a consumer affairs reporter, but she'd always go off-topic or editorialize and usually had to be reminded by the Weekend Update anchor to stay focused, which she never did. Between her hair and her voice, Roseannadanna was an easily recognizable break-out star from the show's early days.
John Mulaney waited years for "Diner Lobster" to become a reality.
John Mulaney and Kenan Thompson during "Diner Lobster" in 2018.
Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
"Diner Lobster," which The Atlantic called "the best 'Saturday Night Live' sketch in ages," aired in 2018 when Mulaney, a former writer on the show and successful comedian, returned to host the show for the first time.
The sketch focuses on two diner patrons, played by Chris Redd and Pete Davidson, and their desire to order lobster at an NYC diner. Their waiter, John Mulaney, responds with disbelief, and the entire diner turns into one big "Les Misérables" tribute — we promise it makes sense. Plus Mulaney had first cowritten the sketch with Colin Jost in 2010, so it's extremely satisfying that it finally made it to air.
Debbie Downer is the most famous of Rachel Dratch's characters and made everyone onstage break, including herself.
Rachel Dratch as Debbie Downer.
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Debbie Downer, as you can guess, found a way to bring down everyone's fun, most famously at Disney World, though she appeared in other sketches too. We can almost hear the sad trombone noise now.
The font Papyrus will forever live in infamy, thanks to this sketch starring Ryan Gosling.
Ryan Gosling as Steven Wingdings during the "Papyrus 2" sketch in 2024.
Lauren Clements/NBC/Getty Images
If you're anything like the millions of other people who saw "Avatar" in 2009, you might've noted that the film's title font looked quite similar to the font Papyrus and moved on.
But not Steven (played by Ryan Gosling), who became so fixated on the fact that the highest-grossing film of all time had used a simple font from Microsoft Word, that he still wasn't over it in 2017, much to the confusion of everyone around him.
That doesn't mean it's not a little weird to find out that two actors who play siblings on-screen have taken their relationship from fake family to real romance.
In honor of Valentine's Day, here are 15 couples who played siblings in TV and movies, but dated in real life.
Peter Krause and Lauren Graham
Peter Krause and Lauren Graham attend the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2020.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Peter Krause and Lauren Graham played Adam and Sarah Braverman on NBC's "Parenthood" from 2010 to 2015, and during that time, they began dating.
"We couldn't stop talking," Graham told Good Housekeeping in 2016. "Not about ourselves, but about the world and books and family. Once we got together, there was no game play. It was like, 'You like me, and I like you.' It gave me an understanding of life: This is how things happen, and it's completely random."
In June 2022, People reported they'd "quietly" broken up the year prior after more than 10 years together.
We actually have Wilson to thank for Hanks' appearances in rom-com staples "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail" — Wilson introduced Hanks to writer/director Nora Ephron, according to a memorial he wrote for Ephron in Time.
Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey
Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick in 1988.
The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
In "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey played antagonistic siblings, but in real life, they were in love.
Broderick played Ferris, the epitome of a cool kid, while Grey played his sour older sister Jeanie, who only wanted to catch Ferris in his lies in the 1986 classic.
"I was as surprised as anyone when our relationship morphed from on-screen sibling rivalry to off-screen illicit romance," she wrote in her 2022 memoir, "Out of the Corner."
Their relationship was revealed to the world in August 1987 when, while driving together on vacation in Ireland, the two were involved in a serious car crash that left two people dead, People reported.
The pair were briefly engaged in 1988 but split up soon after, per E! News.
Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader
Bill Hader and Anna Kendrick.
Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Bill Hader and Anna Kendrick spent time together while filming the Disney+ holiday film "Noelle" in 2017. In the movie, Kendrick and Hader play Noelle and Nick, also known as Santa Claus' two adult kids. The film was eventually released in December 2019.
In January 2022, People reported the two on-screen Kringles had been dating for over a year.
"Anna has been dating Bill quietly for over a year," a source told People. "They're both hysterical so they must keep each other laughing all of the time. She's really, really happy."
During a March 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hader said he keeps his romantic life private out of respect for his kids — he has three daughters with his ex-wife, Maggie Carey.
People reported their breakup in June 2022.
Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall
Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2009.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Michael C. Hall played the titular character in "Dexter," a serial killer with a code, while Jennifer Carpenter played Deb, his foul-mouthed adopted sister. The two went through many stages in their relationship, but their bond was the heart of the show.
In real life, Hall and Carpenter started dating in 2007, tied the knot in 2008, and announced their divorce in December 2010, per Entertainment Weekly. However, they kept working together for another three years, until "Dexter" aired its finale in 2013.
They even reunited in 2021 to once again play the Morgan siblings (albeit with Carpenter playing a ghost) for "Dexter: New Blood."
Chris Pratt and Emily VanCamp
Chris Pratt and Emily VanCamp attended the Xbox 360 "Gears of War" party in 2006.
David Livingston/Getty Images
Chris Pratt and Emily VanCamp both got their start on "Everwood," a teen drama that aired on the WB from 2002 to 2006. In it, VanCamp played Amy Abbott, while Pratt played her older brother Bright.
Pratt spoke about their relationship to TV Guide after the show ended. "We've pretty much gotten used to the response of, 'Eww, that's weird. That's creepy.' The people who know us are happy, and probably expected it to happen eventually. But yeah, every once in a while we get that one person that's like, 'That's really creepy. You just kissed your sister,'" Pratt joked.
"It never really weirded us out that we played brother and sister, because, you know, it's all fiction."
The pair ended up dating for a couple of years before breaking up in 2007.
Emily VanCamp dated another one of her on-screen brothers, Dave Annable, who played her brother in "Brothers and Sisters."
Dave Annable and Emily VanCamp in 2008.
John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images
In "Brothers and Sisters," VanCamp played Rebecca Harper, a young woman who comes into the lives of the Walkers (the main focus of the series), and reveals that she is their half-sibling — their father had an affair with her mother, producing Rebecca. She then tries to build relationships with her new family.
The only issue? VanCamp and her on-screen half-brother, Annable (who played Justin), had palpable chemistry and were dating off-screen. The show then made the choice to have Rebecca actually not be their half-sibling, freeing up Rebecca and Justin to date on the show.
VanCamp and Annable began dating in 2007, according to E! News, but they broke up before VanCamp's character left the show in season four — Annable met his future wife, Odette, during season five.
"I looked like an idiot," Greg Berlanti, an executive producer, told EW in 2008. "Here were two young people who didn't grow up with each other, didn't know each other, but they had this electricity. There was nothing I could do."
Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams
Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams in 1972.
Darlene Hammond/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams played step-siblings on "The Brady Bunch," but "couldn't keep their hands off each other" off-screen.
McCormick and Williams played Marcia and Greg Brady for all five seasons of "The Brady Bunch," from 1969 to 1974. Toward the end of the show's run, McCormick and Williams developed feelings for each other.
She wrote that their first kiss took place during the cast's trip to Hawaii in season four. But, she said, their relationship was an "on-and-off-again game," and they never officially became boyfriend and girlfriend.
Evan Rachel Wood and Shane West
Shane West and Evan Rachel Wood.
J. Vespa/WireImage/Getty Images
From 1999 to 2002, Shane West and Evan Rachel Wood played Eli and Jessie Sammler on ABC's "Once and Again." The show focused on their dad, Rick, and his attempts to move on after his divorce with a new woman, Lily.
A decade later, in 2009, the two were spotted together celebrating West's 31st birthday. "I think you can put two and two together," Wood said of their relationship status. "I won't confirm or deny it but I don't think I have to." She also added that West was her celebrity crush, per Just Jared.
In "Roswell," Katherine Heigl and Jason Behr played siblings from a different planet. In real life, they dated for most of the show's run.
"Roswell" aired for three seasons from 1999 to 2002, and according to E! News, Heigl and Behr dated for almost all of the show's run, before breaking up in 2002.
On the show, they played Max and Isabel Evans, alien siblings who crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico, and try their best to fit in with humanity, to varied levels of success.
Shannen Doherty and Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty at the 1991 Emmy Awards.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc/Getty Images
Doherty played the rebellious Brenda Walsh for the first four seasons of ""Beverly Hills, 90210" before being written off, while Priestley played her twin, the more popular Brandon, during seasons one through nine (he was shown in archival footage for the 10th and final season in 2000).
In his book, "Jason Priestley: A Memoir," Priestley wrote, "Various combinations of people slept with each other over the years. Nobody ever got attached. We never let it get in the way of what we were doing. I will let you know that nobody ever got — work always superseded everything."
Ian Somerhalder and Maggie Grace
Maggie Grace and Ian Somerhalder in 2005.
Stefanie Keenan/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
The two played step-siblings Boone and Shannon during "Lost's" first two seasons, with Boone's death at the end of season one being one of the most shocking moments of the show. Throughout the course of the season, it gradually was revealed that Boone was into his step-sister, and she took advantage of those feelings rather frequently.
In real life, the two dated from 2006 to 2007, a year after Somerhalder's character was killed off.
"Ian and I are still very good friends," Grace told New You in 2015.
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett
Will Arnett and Amy Poehler at Variety's Power of Comedy in 2011.
Joe Scarnici/WireImage/Getty Images
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett were already married when they played incestuous siblings in "Blades of Glory."
Poehler and Arnett, who were married from 2003 to 2016, costarred as the ice-skating Van Waldenberg siblings, the villains of the film. The two clearly have a vibe throughout the film, but it all comes to a head at the end of the film when they kiss.
Selena Gomez and David Henrie
David Henrie and Selena Gomez in 2008.
John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images
Selena Gomez and David Henrie dated while costarring in "The Wizards of Waverly Place."
Gomez and Henrie never publicly confirmed their romance, but there was much speculation about the two on-screen Russo siblings, who reportedly went on a few dates in 2010, and were spotted together in 2014.
No matter what, the two have remained good friends. Gomez attended Henrie's wedding in 2017, and the two teamed up for 2020's "This Is the Year," which Henrie directed and Gomez produced.
They also reunited in 2024 for the sequel series, "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place."
Kirstie Alley and Parker Stevenson
Kirstie Alley and Parker Stevenson in 1979.
Paul Harris/Getty Images
Alley and Stevenson were married from 1983 to 1997, but the two had been together for even longer before tying the knot.
While they were married, Alley began starring in the historical miniseries "North and South," which released its first installment in 1985. She played Virgilia Hazard, the sister of the main character, George Hazard (James Read). There was another Hazard sibling, Billy, who was played by John Stockwell in the first season.
When season two returned in 1986, Billy had been recast and was played by Alley's husband, Stevenson.
According to Alley, at the time, she was also falling in love with her other "North and South" costar, Patrick Swayze.
"We did not have an affair," she told "Entertainment Tonight" in 2012. "But again, I think what I did was worse. Because I think when you fall in love with someone when you're married, you jeopardize your own marriage and their marriage. It's doubly bad."
There were no hard feelings on Stevenson's part, though. After Alley's death in 2022, her ex-husband shared his feelings on her passing on Instagram.
"Dear Kirstie, I am so grateful for our years together, and for the two incredibly beautiful children and now grandchildren that we have. You will be missed," he wrote.
It's been said there's a thin line between love and hate.
Maybe that's why these on-screen couples have chemistry: They apparently hated each other in real life.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, costars of "It Ends with Us," are suing each other.
Red-hot chemistry can come from two actors who get along in real life — or even two actors who are dating in real life — but, as any enemy-to-lovers fan knows, it can also come from actors who simply cannot stand each other.
There are plenty of instances in Hollywood where two stars who did not get along created iconic on-screen couples. Jennifer Grey even wrote in her memoir that she had begged the studio not to cast her eventual "Dirty Dancing" costar Patrick Swayze. However, Baby and Johnny remain a beloved '80s couple.
More recently, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have taken their dislike for each other to new levels, by taking their accusations to court.
Keep scrolling for more on-screen couples who couldn't have been further from lovers in real life.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in "It Ends with Us."
Sony Pictures Releasing
The drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who played Lily and Ryle in the 2024 adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel "It Ends With Us," quickly went from rumors to a matter of legal record.
There were first whispers of a feud when it became clear that Baldoni (who also directed the film) wasn't doing press or appearing on the red carpet with any other members of the cast.
But in December, months after the film was released, things got messier. Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of "sexual harassment, retaliation, and coordinating attempts to damage her reputation." Baldoni's lawyer called the claims "categorically false."
A few weeks later, in January, Baldoni sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, asking for $400 million in damages and claiming that the two had conspired to destroy his reputation.
"The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively's complaint, and it will fail," Lively's legal team said in a statement to BI.
With the trial set for 2026, this won't be the last we hear about this feud.
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey
Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze at the 1988 Academy Awards.
Bob Riha Jr/Getty Images
"Dirty Dancing," released in 1987, is a classic romance film, and Johnny (Swayze) and Baby (Grey) are one of the most beloved on-screen couples ever. However, while their on-screen chemistry was undeniable, their real relationship was a bit rocky.
"She'd slip into silly moods, forcing us to do scenes over and over," Swayze wrote in his 2010 memoir, "The Time of My Life." He added, "She seemed particularly emotional, sometimes bursting into tears if someone criticized her."
"'Please, no. Not him. Anybody else. Please!' I begged," Grey wrote when she heard of Swayze's casting.
But in an interview on "The View" in May 2022, she said during the screen test he convinced her to change her mind about him.
"He pulled me down the hall and said to me, 'I love you, I love you and I'm so sorry. I know you don't want me to do the movie,'" Grey said.
Still, filming together turned out to be a challenge.
"The sexual chemistry between Baby and Johnny was everything, and I was not feeling it. How was I supposed to trust this guy?" she wrote in her memoir. "I couldn't help but sense Patrick's impatience with me in rehearsals. It freaked me out to feel I'd finally gotten it with Kenny [Ortega, the film's choreographer] and was ready to go, only to find out that with Patrick, I didn't have it at all."
"The tension between us fed a certain real-life struggle and energy into the movie," she added.
In an April 2022 interview with People she shared her regrets about the relationship with Swayze, who died in 2009.
"I feel like if I could say anything to him now I would say, 'I'm so sorry that I couldn't just appreciate and luxuriate in who you were, instead of me wishing you were more like what I wanted you to be,'" Grey said.
Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley
Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley attended a "Vampire Diaries" event at the 27th annual PaleyFest in 2010.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Thankfully, the two are close now, but according to Dobrev, the on-screen lovers couldn't stand each other for the first five months of filming their show in 2009, while their characters were falling madly in love. She even admitted she and costar Paul Wesley "despised each other" at the beginning of the show.
"I respected Paul Wesley, I didn't like Paul Wesley," Dobrev revealed on the "Directionally Challenged" podcast in June 2019. Cue the sounds of "Stelena" fans' hearts breaking all over the world.
"But, of everyone [from the 'Vampire Diaries' cast], I think I probably see him the most and hang out with him the most … We are probably the closest. We hang out a lot. We're really good friends, she said. "It's so funny how time changes everything because I never thought that he would be one of my best friends," she continued.
Their characters had a similar up-and-down dynamic — the two dated for three and a half seasons of the show before breaking up for good in season four.
Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts in "I Love Trouble."
Touchstone Pictures/Getty Images
The two played dueling reporters looking for a scoop on the same story before falling in love in the 1994 film "I Love Trouble," but the title seemed to mirror their off-screen dynamic a bit too well.
Trouble brewing on set led to a piece in the Los Angeles Times in 1994. Sources told the paper the two actors didn't get along and bickered incessantly.
Journalist Judy Brennan wrote, "Roberts reportedly wasn't thrilled with Nolte's machismo, so she would deride and insult her costar. Some on the set claim that he became so annoyed with her attitude that he would do things to agitate her even more. The discord was so intense, the sources say, the two played more to stand-ins than to each other."
In a 1993 interview with The New York Times that took place during filming, Roberts described her relationship with Nolte, saying: "From the moment I met him we sort of gave each other a hard time, and naturally we get on each other's nerves."
She added that while he can be "completely charming and very nice, he's also completely disgusting. He's going to hate me for saying this, but he seems to go out of his way to repel people."
Nolte responded, "It's not nice to call someone 'disgusting.' But she's not a nice person. Everyone knows that."
In 2022, Nolte told Business Insider that, while they hadn't buried the hatchet, the feud was "absurd."
"It was partly my fault and a little bit of hers. Julia got married at the beginning of that film and it was one of those things where I just approached it all wrong," he said.
Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush attended a premiere in 2004.
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage/Getty Images
Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray got married — and then divorced — on the set of "One Tree Hill," all while playing on-again/off-again couple Brooke and Lucas.
Murray and Bush met on the set of the teen drama and were married shortly after in 2005. Five months later, the two separated, and they were divorced in 2006. Despite that, the two continued working together, and their characters even hooked up a few more times before Murray left the show after season six in 2009.
While on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2014, Bush was asked when she last spoke to Murray and said, "My mother once said to me that if you don't have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all."
Bush was asked about the relationship again during a 2018 appearance on Andy Cohen's radio show, and she said that getting married "was not a thing I actually really wanted to do," implying the producers had a role in it.
She later said on Twitter (now X) that she had been making fun of herself during the interview.
For his part, Murray issued a statement through his rep that said, "Chad conducts himself in a completely professional manner and would never marry for any reason but love. Thirteen years since his divorce from Sophia, he has a very happy family life with his wife and children. He has completely moved on and doesn't feel the need to engage in this type of behavior."
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams originally did not get along while filming "The Notebook," but then they went on to date for roughly three years.
Director Nick Cassavetes revealed that the two struggled to get along when they first started filming the 2004 movie.
"Maybe I'm not supposed to tell this story, but they were really not getting along one day on set. Really not," Cassavetes told VH1 in 2014. Gosling even asked to replace McAdams.
"Ryan came to me, and there's 150 people standing in this big scene, and he says, 'Nick come here,'" the director said. "And he's doing a scene with Rachel and he says, 'Would you take her out of here and bring in another actress to read off camera with me?' I said, 'What?' He says, 'I can't. I can't do it with her. I'm just not getting anything from this.'"
"We went into a room with a producer; they started screaming and yelling at each other. I walked out," Cassavetes added.
After allowing them to let off some steam, filming was able to continue, and their chemistry was a huge hit. Noah and Allie remain one of the most iconic couples in recent movie history.
They'd even go on to date in real life, from 2005 to 2007. They briefly reunited in 2008 before calling it quits for good.
Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair
Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair at the "Anger Management" panel during the 2012 Summer TCA Tour.
Mark Davis/WireImage/Getty Images
Charlie Sheen reportedly got Selma Blair fired from "Anger Management," in which the two played friends with benefits.
The Hollywood Reporter reported Blair took issue with Sheen's work ethic and voiced her concerns, so Sheen fired Blair in 2013 via a nasty text in which he called her a vulgar name.
During a segment on "Watch What Happens Live" in January 2017, Sheen commented on his former costar, Blair, and his former "Two and a Half Men" costar, Jenny McCarthy.
"I'd like to mash those two together and then kick them to the curb," he said. "They deserve each other."
Anthony Hopkins and Shirley MacLaine
Anthony Hopkins and Shirley MacLaine at the 2009 SAG Awards.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Anthony Hopkins and Shirley MacLaine costarred in "A Change of Seasons" as a feuding married couple, and in real life, they also feuded.
In the 1980 film, MacLaine plays a woman who finds out her husband (Hopkins) is cheating on her and then decides that she's going to cheat on him too, much to his chagrin.
Off-screen, things weren't any more amicable. Hopkins later called MacLaine "the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with," per The Independent.
In 2014, when the New York Post asked if she'd work with Hopkins again, she didn't answer and instead replied that she "didn't like him either," though she did add that "he was on the wagon at that time, and it was hard on him."
Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson
Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson in "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life."
Netflix
There was no love lost between Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson, who played Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes on "Gilmore Girls."
For seven seasons of the show, fans watched as these two soulmates danced around each other, briefly dating for a season only to break up. They didn't even get back together until the series finale.
Their prickly dynamic, which made them so compelling to watch, might have been inspired by their off-screen relationship — or lack thereof. Rumors always swirled that Graham and Patterson didn't exactly like each other, and Graham confirmed they weren't the best of friends during a TV Guide interview in 2005.
"It's fine," she said of their relationship. "I think these characters have a great chemistry and that does mirror our chemistry as people. We're not intimates," Graham added. When asked if they were best friends, she responded with a simple "No."
However, they were able to recapture the magic for "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," which picked up nine years after the original series ended, and reunited once again in 2024 for a "Gilmore Girls" Walmart ad, so clearly the two have a positive working relationship.
"I am amazed at what [Graham] did with this dialogue, with these massive chunks of dialogue. They were 80 pages, these scripts, and it was all black ink, and most of it said 'Lorelai.' Just an amazing performance throughout, and that's one of the things you marvel at as a fan of the show," Patterson said during a chat with Good Housekeeping in 2024.
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny onstage at the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con.
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Wizard World
It wasn't always fine between "X-Files" costars and iconic fictional will-they-or-won't-they couple Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, which lasted from 1993 to 2018.
The two may have enjoyed working together since, but in the early seasons, they reportedly did butt heads on set.
Duchovny first mentioned their off-screen relationship was less-than-perfect in a 2008 interview with Metro: "We used to argue about nothing. We couldn't stand the sight of each other," he said.
In a 2015 interview with The Guardian, Anderson opened up about how the two sometimes wouldn't talk.
"I mean, yes, there were definitely periods when we hated each other," she said. "Hate is too strong a word. We didn't talk for long periods of time. It was intense."
In 2024, Anderson appeared on an episode of Duchovny's podcast, "Fail Better" and the two discussed the breakdown of their friendship.
"There was a long time, working on the show, where we were just not even dealing with one another off-camera. And there was a lot of tension," he said, and added, "I could've handled myself better, you know?"
Armie Hammer and Blake Lively
Armie Hammer and Blake Lively in "Gossip Girl."
The CW
Armie Hammer implied he was written off "Gossip Girl" at the request of a cast member, and he seemed to suggest it was on-screen love interest Blake Lively.
Hammer played Gabriel, a love interest for Lively's character Serena — the two even got married in Spain. It seemed like he'd be around for a while ... until his character was unceremoniously written off at the end of the season in 2009.
In 2017, Hammer spoke about his short stint on the show during an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live."
When asked by an audience member to name the biggest diva on set, Hammer hesitated to name names. What he did say, though, was that it "was a tough show to film, and I didn't end up actually filming all of the episodes I was supposed to because it was such a tough filming."
When host Andy Cohen asked if Hammer had asked to be written off, he replied, "It was also like, 'Get him out of here,'" implying someone else asked for him to be written off.
Fellow guest Cheslea Handler then implied that it sounded like Lively was the problem.
"No, no, that's not what I'm saying," Hammer said, but added a grin and raised his eyebrows at Handler.
Curtis and Monroe, who had actually dated before either became famous, played lovers in "Some Like It Hot" around a decade later in 1958. Somewhere in those 10 years, their relationship soured.
Famously, he was asked what it was like to kiss Monroe, to which he replied, "It was like kissing Hitler."
In later interviews, he said he never said it or that he was joking. He did tell The Daily Mail in 2008 that kissing her "was awful," and added, "She nearly choked me to death by deliberately sticking her tongue down my throat into my windpipe."
"There was nothing laid back or amusing about Marilyn on that movie. She was drinking a lot on the set," he added.
Jennifer Aniston and Jay Mohr
Jennifer Aniston and Jay Mohr in 1997.
Kevin.Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images
In the 1997 romantic comedy Picture Perfect, Aniston and Mohr play a fake engaged couple who eventuallyfall in love.
During a 2010 interview with Elle, Mohr was asked what his most awkward interaction was with a female celebrity. He responded, "Being on the set of a movie where the leading woman was unhappy with my presence and made it clear from day one."
He continued, "I hadn't done many movies, and even though they screen-tested some pretty famous guys, I somehow snaked into the leading role. The actress said, 'No way! You've got to be kidding me!' Loudly. Between takes. To other actors on set. I would literally go to my mom's house and cry."
At the time, he refused to confirm whether it was Aniston or not.
However, in 2012, during an episode of his podcast "Mohr Stories," he said Aniston had been extremely angry he had been cast. He said she told him the studio had screen-tested six guys, and they picked the one (Mohr) she had hated, over her own boyfriend at the time, Tate Donovan.
Aniston has never publicly commented on his claims.
Richard Gere and Debra Winger
Debra Winger and Richard Gere at the International Rome Film Festival in 2011.
Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images
If, as "An Officer and a Gentleman" says, that love lifts us up where we belong, its two stars Richard Gere and Debra Winger were decidedly on the ground.
In the 1982 film, Gere plays an Aviation Officer Candidate named Zack, who falls in love with Winger's Paula, a factory worker. She was later nominated for an Oscar for the film.
In real life, though, Winger wasn't fond of her costar. In fact, she called him "a brick wall" and called director Taylor Hackford "an animal."
There wasn't really any permanent hate, though. In 2002, Winger told The Guardian, "I run in to Richard Gere quite a lot and he half jokes: 'Are you still saying terrible things about me?' We had a moment in our life which was not good, but everyone has to get it into perspective."
Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep at the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980.
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman play feuding exes in 1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer," which seemed similar to their off-screen dynamic.
When Streep first heard about what would become the Oscar-winning 1979 film, she was mourning the death of her boyfriend, fellow actor John Cazale, who died in 1978.
According to a 2016 book about Streep's life, "Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep," Hoffman slapped Streep across the face, taunted her about the recent death of Cazale, and even shattered a wine glass next to her without telling her.
"He was goading her and provoking her," said producer Richard Fischoff, "using stuff that he knew about her personal life and about John to get the response that he thought she should be giving in the performance."
"All is forgiven and I really, really love him and I think he's an amazing actor, yeah, but boy I was mad that day," Streep said during a 2008 appearance on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross."
Here's how they all compare, according to critics.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a huge box-office force ever since its first film, "Iron Man," debuted in 2008.
Seventeen years and 35 more films later, the MCU has experienced its fair share of ups and downs, both critically and commercially.
While last year's MCU release, "Deadpool & Wolverine" was a huge hit financially (grossing over $1.3 billion, according to Box Office Mojo data) and critically (it even tied at the Critics' Choice Awards for best comedy), the first Marvel movie of 2025, "Captain America: Brave New World," looks like it'll have a bumpier road.
We used Rotten Tomatoes scores to rank every single MCU project, from worst to best. Keep scrolling to see how each hero stacks up.
49. "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" (2023)
Paul Rudd and Kathryn Newton in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
The best part of "Quantumania," the third installment in the Paul Rudd-led "Ant-Man" series, was Jonathan Majors' introduction as the MCU's next big bad, Kang, audiences and critics agreed — although, Majors' time in the MCU was short-lived as a result of his recent legal troubles.
While critics had a tougher time with the miniature film, the audience score of 81% shows that fans had a good time with Scott, Hope, Hank, Janet, and Cassie down in the Quantum Realm.
"The general color-drenched too-muchness of it all might be tolerable if the plot wasn't such a by-the-numbers slog, alternating hyperkinetic action sequences with draggy recitations of exposition," wrote Decider's John Serba.
"Eternals," directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, attempted to introduce an entirely new team of superheroes, an alien race called the Eternals, to the MCU, and followed them from prehistoric times all the way through present day. Your mileage may vary on how successful she was — but "Eternals" did introduce Harry Styles to the MCU, so there's that.
"Zhao ultimately robs the artist's comic of its sweep by constantly turning a space opera into a repetitive character drama," wrote Ed Gonzalez for Slant Magazine.
47. "Captain America: Brave New World" (2025)
Anthony Mackie in "Captain America: Brave New World."
"Brave New World" sees Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) officially take over for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as Captain America on the big screen, while his old friend Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) is the new Falcon.
Sam must go up against President Thunderbolt Ross — with Harrison Ford taking over for William Hurt, who died in 2022 — who has somehow turned into, you guessed it, Red Hulk.
"Though it ties together threads from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, 'Brave New World' is neither particularly good or bad. It's just another Marvel movie," wrote Dylan Roth for the Observer.
"Secret Invasion" continues the story of the Skrulls, a few decades after we last saw them in "Captain Marvel," as they search for a new planet with the help of Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson.
But not even the all-star cast of Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Don Cheadle, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, and more could save this show from getting torn apart by critics.
"If a series about Nick Fury doesn't feel urgent or crucial, then the MCU is losing the battle for our attention," wrote Melanie McFarland for Salon.
"The Marvels," the long-awaited follow-up to 2019's "Captain Marvel," sees Brie Larson's Carol Danvers team up with Monica Rambeau, aka Photon (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel (Imani Vellani) to take down a new threat.
"It might not have the overwhelming impact of an 'Endgame' or even a 'Guardians 3,' but this is the MCU back on fast, funny form," wrote Empire Magazine's Helen O'Hara.
The follow-up to smash hit "Thor: Ragnarok" and the first-ever fourth solo film for an MCU hero didn't live up to expectations, at least according to critics. But we did get to see Natalie Portman return to the MCU as her version of the Mighty Thor, a couple of screaming goats, and a jaw-dropping post-credits cameo.
"Though Chris Hemsworth, as usual, has a lot of fun in the title role, the film around him too often strains to provide excitement and laughs," wrote Wall Street Journal's Kyle Smith.
"Thor: The Dark World" — the 2013 sequel to the 2011 film — stars Chris Hemsworth as the titular Norse god, Tom Hiddleston as his mischievous brother Loki, and Natalie Portman as Thor's Earth-bound love interest Jane Foster. It wasn't as well-received as its predecessor, but it has its defenders. And now, it's been ranked better than "Love and Thunder."
"This feels like a really, really, expensive episode of 'Doctor Who.' In a good way," wrote Larushka Ivan-Zadeh for Metro.
Edward Norton took over from Eric Bana for "The Incredible Hulk," which was plagued with rumors of behind-the-scenes drama, reported by Collider, including that Norton rewrote much of the movie while it was shooting, and that there were many clashes between Norton, director Louis Leterrier, and Marvel Studios.
Those dueling visions led to a moderately received comic-book film.
"The climax is a bit of a yawn, but most of what precedes it is vigorous and sharp," wrote Tom Charity of CNN.
"Echo" is a five-episode series following Maya Lopez, aka Echo, a character first introduced in "Hawkeye." After the events of "Hawkeye," when she learned that her adoptive father, Wilson Fisk, was responsible for the death of her real father, Maya returns home to her small town in Oklahoma to reckon with her mysterious past.
"'Echo' resists pandering in its celebration of female, Indigenous, and disabled identities, keeping it all rooted in character moments that are organic and well earned," wrote Jen Chaney for Vulture.
In retrospect, "Iron Man 2" had an impossible job: to build upon what is still regarded as one of the finest superhero films of all time. Perhaps that's why critics weren't too kind to "Iron Man 2," which focused on Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, being rude to everyone around him while covering up his own impending death. Oh, and Mickey Rourke is there playing Whiplash, a Russian villain who loves his bird.
"Casting the likes of Downey and Rourke and then imprisoning them in jointed refrigerators is resource-squandering of the highest order," wrote Dana Stevens for Slate.
39. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022)
Benedict Cumberbatch in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
After the events of the Disney+ miniseries "WandaVision," Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff has been taken over by the dark forces of the Scarlet Witch, putting her on a collision course with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange as he works to protect a new teenaged friend, America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez), from Wanda's plans.
"It might be Marvel's multiverse, but 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' is [director Sam] Raimi's plaything. And we wouldn't want it any other way," wrote Kristy Puchko for Mashable.
The Avengers team up once again in "Age of Ultron" to take down the nihilistic AI known as Ultron, designed as a "suit of armor around the world" by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, aka Iron Man and the Hulk, who is hell-bent on destroying the planet at all costs.
"The sharp, interpersonal dramedy that made the first movie such a delight is again present in flashes, but not infrequently it is drowned out by the noisy, inevitable need to Save the World," wrote Christopher Orr for The Atlantic.
Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were both nearly unknowns when they were cast as Norse gods Thor and Loki — and this movie catapulted them both to the A-list almost immediately.
Both Hemsworth and Hiddleston were still involved with the MCU through 2023, with Hemsworth's Thor getting a fourth solo film (a first for the MCU) and Hiddleston's Loki getting a second season of his Disney+ series (also a first for the MCU). Seeing their chemistry as brothers in this first film explains why. But in 2025, their future remains to be seen.
"The new Marvel Comics movie 'Thor,' directed by Kenneth Branagh, is equal parts trippy, tacky, and monumental, the blend surprisingly agreeable, a happy change from all those aggressively down-to-earth superhero flicks like 'Iron Man,'" wrote David Edelstein for Vulture.
36. "Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024)
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in "Deadpool & Wolverine."
After the 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the X-Men are now finally able to become part of the MCU — and the very first X-Men story brought into the universe brings Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine back to the big screen. This time, he teams up with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, also known as the Merc with a Mouth.
The two go on a rambunctious cameo-filled ride throughout the multiverse to try and save Deadpool's friends from total destruction.
"'Deadpool & Wolverine' is the ultimate love letter to Marvel fans: The cameos and references are aplenty and brilliant, the source material is treated with respect and, best of all, it's pure, unadulterated fun," wrote The Seattle Times' Dominic Baez.
"Iron Man 3" focuses on Tony Stark dealing with his PTSD after the events of "Avengers" — aka his near-death experience flying a nuclear bomb through a wormhole in space. But the big twist of this movie, the bait-and-switch identity of the Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, remains this movie's biggest legacy.
"A thrilling film and a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the 'Iron Man' trilogy," wrote Nicolás Delgadillo for Discussing Film.
32 (tie). "Captain Marvel" (2019)
Brie Larson, Ben Mendelsohn, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lashana Lynch in "Captain Marvel."
Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers, a former US Air Force pilot who is exposed to a blast of cosmic energy in the '90s, experiences memory loss, and is taken in by an alien race called the Kree. As Carol tries to remember her past, she's introduced to a young(er) S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, a digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
"The main strength is a core of female friendship: Carol Danvers is the only Marvel hero you could imagine getting hammered and belting out songs by No Doubt," wrote The Observer's Wendy Ide.
32 (tie). "Black Widow" (2021)
Florence Pugh and Scarlett Johansson in "Black Widow."
Set between the events of "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War," and exactly a decade after her introduction as Natasha Romanoff in "Iron Man 2," Scarlett Johansson finally starred in her own solo film with "Black Widow."
The film also introduced actors Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz to the MCU, all three of whom we'd love to see again in the future — and, in the case of Pugh and Harbour, we'll see them in "Thunderbolts."
"In all the ways that matter to an MCU fan, 'Black Widow' the film meets or exceeds all expectations. It is a killer action flick, and a unique viewing experience... in that I loved it, and the fact that I loved it also makes me livid," wrote Salon's Melanie McFarland.
Uncanny valley visual effects aside, "She-Hulk" was simply a lot of fun, led by the talented Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, cousin of Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk), gifted lawyer, and reluctant superhero.
Plus, fans got to see the official reintroduction of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, or Daredevil, into the MCU. Can't wait for "Born Again" this year.
"'She-Hulk: Attorney At Law' was a massive success. It had a little bit of a bobble on the dismount, but it stuck the landing all the same. Here's hoping we see way more of Jennifer Walters in the MCU to come," wrote IGN's Amelia Emberwing.
31. "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011)
Chris Evans in "Captain America: The First Avenger."
Simply put, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is the role that Chris Evans was born to play. Audiences see Evans first as a digitally altered scrawny kid from 1940s Brooklyn who, against all odds, is chosen to receive a "super soldier serum" and become Captain America due to his pure heart. With anyone else, it'd be unbearably cheesy, but Evans sells it.
"No clever messages here, just bang-on romance and action, with another fresh twist on 20th-century history woven in for the kids to dive into after the credits have rolled," wrote Ed Gibbs for The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Vol. 3's" 82% score makes it the lowest-rated "Guardians" movie, though it has a high 94% audience score.
The film serves as a swan song for this version of the Guardians, comprised of Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (Vin Diesel), Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Kraglin (Sean Gunn), as well as director James Gunn in the MCU.
Rudd plays Scott Lang, a white-collar criminal who is enlisted to take on the mantle of Ant-Man, a shrinking superhero who used to be Michael Douglas' Hank Pym. But, as Pym is too old to suit up, he and his daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) teach Lang how to control ants, shrink and grow at will, and how to break into Pym's lab to take down Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).
"Paul Rudd stars in a formulaic but consistently entertaining and likable Marvel summer blockbuster," wrote NME's Nick Levine.
27 (tie). "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022)
Letitia Wright in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
After the tragic (and unexpected) death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, the highly anticipated "Black Panther" sequel was rewritten to be a story of grief and mourning, while also setting up the future of Wakanda in the MCU for years to come.
Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett all put in stellar performances, with the latter receiving an Oscar nomination, while Tenoch Huerta introduced viewers to the underwater king Namor with a bang.
"A thoughtful and mature exploration of communal grief in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Chadwick Boseman," wrote Chicago Reader's Sheri Flanders.
"Agatha All Along" is a spin-off of one of the most successful Marvel Disney+ shows, "WandaVision." Now, the spotlight is on Agatha Harkness, a formerly powerful witch whose powers were stripped and memories stolen by Wanda.
But you can't keep a good witch down — in this show, she teams up with an all-star cast (Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata) to get her magic back at any cost.
"A charming concoction of snappy humor, strong performances, and enchanting nostalgia that makes for perfect pre-Halloween viewing. Kathryn Hahn's sheer magnetism alone will have you spellbound," wrote Empire Magazine's Sophie Butcher.
"GotG Vol. 2" delves into the true parentage of Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, as played by Chris Pratt. In addition to the rest of the stellar returning cast, Kurt Russell was added to play Peter's biological father, Ego the Living Planet, and Pom Klementieff joined the team as the empathic alien, Mantis.
"In Marvel lingo, 'Guardians 2' feels like a great six-issue arc, the kind of storytelling that used to be the backbone of superhero comics," wrote The Atlantic's David Sims.
"Avengers: Infinity War" is the first part of the culmination of the first 10 years of the MCU, which concluded one year later in "Avengers Endgame."
The film "Infinity War" follows Thanos, an alien who is dedicated to erasing half of the universe's population, as he scours space for the six Infinity Stones. Meanwhile, the Avengers stop at nothing to prevent him from getting all six with disastrous consequences.
"The conclusion of 'Infinity War' is so shocking because it doesn't feel like a cliffhanger, more like a drastic wiping clean of the slate before the whole cycle starts again, with whatever reversal of fortune or comprehensive reboot it may be," wrote Film Comment Magazine's Jonathan Romney.
23 (tie). "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (2021)
Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
"Falcon" was the second MCU series to drop on Disney+, after "WandaVision," and the hype was high. While this series is charming thanks to the hilarious chemistry between stars Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (the Winter Soldier), the series' two antagonists, Karli Morgenthau and John Walker, brought down the material.
Glad Sam finally got the shield, though!
"It's far from a perfect show, but it had moments of emotion and connection that have often been lacking in the MCU as a whole," wrote Polygon's Tasha Robinson.
"What If...?" is based on the popular Marvel comic series of the same name. Each episode explores what would've happened if one small (or huge) thing had changed in the MCU, like what if T'Challa had become Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill, or what if Peggy Carter had received the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers?
It lasted for three seasons.
"For dedicated Marvel enthusiasts, on the other hand, 'What If...?' might feel inessential. But the prospect of speculative fan fiction with a stamp of approval will be hard to resist," wrote The Guardian's Jack Seale.
"Moon Knight" focuses on Isaac's truly impressive performance as mercenary Marc Spector ... and museum gift shop employee Steven Grant ... and the super-powered avatar of the Egyptian god Khonshu.
Things might have gotten a bit confusing by the end, but episode five remains a high mark in MCU acting, thanks to Isaac.
"Isaac's having fun and that fun is infectious whenever Steven is on screen. Accuracy is overvalued in acting, innit? I'd much prefer watching Steven Grant destroy a loo," wrote Esther Zuckerman for Thrillist.
20 (tie). "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018)
Evangeline Lilly and Paul Rudd in "Ant-Man and the Wasp."
By adding the Wasp to the title of the film, Evangeline Lilly is the true first woman to play a titular superhero in the MCU, though she still shares top-billing with Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. In "Ant-Man and the Wasp," the two insect-themed heroes reunite to rescue Hope's mom, played by the radiant Michelle Pfeiffer, from the mysterious quantum realm after an accident decades prior.
"Its intent is limited to amusing and diverting for a couple of hours of high-summer fun. That it does," wrote Matthew Norman of the London Evening Standard.
The first season of "Loki" premiered in June 2021, bringing back one of the most beloved MCU characters from the dead. Sure, this Loki is technically Loki at his most evil, right after the events of 2012's "The Avengers," but it's always nice to see Hiddleston don his golden horns.
However, "Loki" evolved into a genuinely moving story about self-love, destiny, and the capacity to change for good, when given the opportunity.
Season two returned in October 2023.
"The new Marvel series combines the inventiveness of 'WandaVision' with the buddy-comedy repartee missing from 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,'" wrote The Daily Beast's Nick Schager.
Cumberbatch joined the MCU to play Dr. Stephen Strange, a hot-shot surgeon who loses the use of his hands after a brutal car crash and seeks out sorcerers who can help him regain his strength.
As Richard Brody wrote in The New Yorker, the film "lives up to its title, in mostly good ways."
16 (tie). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
Sebastian Stan in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."
If "Captain America: The First Avenger" was Marvel's take on a WWII drama, "Winter Soldier" is the MCU's version of a tense, political thriller as Cap uncovers multiple layers of conspiracy within the US government, and must go on the run from his presumed-dead best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), now brain-washed into the murderous assassin the Winter Soldier.
"'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' delivers the superhero movie goods, but it does so with a grin and a wink, and that seems more and more like the right way to approach these things," wrote Jason Bailey for Flavorwire.
16 (tie). "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)
Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, Elizabeth Olsen and Sebastian Stan in "Captain America: Civil War."
Essentially an "Avengers" movie, "Captain America: Civil War" sees Captain America team up with his friends Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to save his friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) from getting wrongfully convicted for a bombing at the United Nations.
Cap goes up against Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Vision (Paul Bettany), and War Machine (Don Cheadle) in order to save his friend.
Of course, this movie is also famous for introducing Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, aka Black Panther, and Tom Holland as the MCU's version of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.
"It is one of the best movies to ever come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, balancing engaging action set pieces and witty dialogue with intelligent character studies and ethical debates," wrote Salon's Matthew Rozsa.
Gael García Bernal entered the MCU as Jack Russell, an apparent monster hunter who's actually hiding a secret: Every full moon, he turns into a full-on bloodthirsty werewolf. Shot entirely in black and white, "Werewolf by Night" successfully evoked the monster movies that Universal Studios became famous for.
"'Werewolf By Night' is a charming tribute not only to the pulpy horror comics on which it's based but to the scary and silly classic cinema that a generation of film lovers grew up watching late at night on local television," wrote Dylan Routh for the Observer.
14 (tie). "The Avengers" (2012)
Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Evans in "The Avengers."
After four years of teasing out the six main Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, and Hulk), they all met up on the big screen for the first time in "The Avengers."
Under the watchful eye of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, viewers saw Earth's mightiest heroes team up for the first time to take out Thor's brother Loki as he attempted to conquer the world on behalf of a mysterious purple alien.
"A mega-budget action extravaganza that succeeds on just about every level, and it's one you should certainly go and see as soon as possible," wrote Luke Holland for NME.
Picking up a few months after the events of "Avengers: Endgame," Peter Parker/Spider-Man must figure out how to balance his life as a web-slinging superhero and a simple teenager with a crush on his friend MJ, played by a delightful Zendaya. Add in a truly unhinged Jake Gyllenhaal performance as Quentin Beck/Mysterio, and you have the makings of a solid Spidey film.
"The stakes this time turn out to be considerably lower, and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Teen is arguably just the guy to bring things down to Earth and reestablish a human scale," said NPR's Bob Mondello.
At the time, it was a huge swing for Marvel to entrust writer/director James Gunn with bringing one of the lesser-known superhero teams into the MCU — but, as we know, it was one of the smartest gambles Marvel ever made.
"Guardians," led by the ever-charming Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, combines hilarious jokes with a genuinely sweet story about found family: In this case, Peter finds Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket.
"Blessed with a loose, anarchic B-picture soul that encourages you to enjoy yourself even when you're not quite sure what's going on, the scruffy 'Guardians' is irreverent in a way that can bring the first 'Star Wars' to mind," wrote Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" was the third reboot of Spider-Man in 15 years, but somehow, once again, the powers that be managed to find a third actor who was just as qualified as his predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to bring Spidey to life.
After his introduction in "Civil War," "Homecoming" focuses on Peter Parker's sweet bond with Tony Stark/Iron Man, and his realization that being a hero is about more than a cool suit.
"The youthful vibe of this character reset, with its sense of humor and its light touch, makes 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' one of the most enjoyable Marvel movies in years," wrote Chesapeake Family Magazine's Roxana Hadadi.
9 (tie). "WandaVision" (2021)
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany in "WandaVision."
After years of being side characters, Wanda Maximoff and Vision, who are played by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, respectively, were finally able to step into the spotlight.
And how lucky we were to see it. "WandaVision" remains one of the weirdest projects the MCU has put out, as the first few episodes skip through decades of sitcom classics like "Bewitched," "Malcolm in the Middle," and "Modern Family."
Olsen and Bettany were both nominated for Emmys for their performances in "WandaVision," and we couldn't agree more with the honor.
Richard Roeper wrote for the Chicago-Sun Times, "If you're one of those Marvel Cinematic Universe fans who feel it's time for something truly unique and different: Meet 'WandaVision.'"
9 (tie). "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021)
Meng'er Zhang and Simu Liu in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."
Simu Liu mentioned Marvel in a post on Twitter (now X) back in 2018, asking if they were "gonna talk or what #ShangChi."
Three years later, Liu debuted in his own solo film as Shang-Chi in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." In it, Shang-Chi comes to accept his past as a member of his father's (played by the always wonderful Tony Leung) criminal organization, the Ten Rings, while protecting his mother's village from the attacks of a demon known as the Dweller-in-Darkness.
"It's a good movie. It's got a plausibly fearsome villain by way of Leung, a nice ensemble of heroic personalities, and a dose of actually-poignant family drama undergirding all the rest," wrote K. Austin Collins for Rolling Stone.
"Hawkeye," starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld as two of the most talented archers in the world, was a refreshing change of pace; the stakes weren't cosmic.
Instead, it came down to Renner's Clint Barton and Steinfeld's Kate Bishop battling it out against a Russian mob with an affinity for tracksuits while dodging Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, brought back from the Netflix Marvel series limbo.
"The series was loosely inspired by the excellent Matt Fraction and David Aja run of 'Hawkeye' comics, and some of that fun makes its way into the show," wrote Vanity Fair's Sonia Saraiya.
7 (tie). "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017)
Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo in "Thor: Ragnarok."
"Ragnarok" was one of the most impressive feats in MCU history — the first two "Thor" movies are among some of the lowest-rated MCU movies, while "Ragnarok" is in the top 10 of all Marvel movies, period.
This comes down to director Taika Waititi, who was able to infuse his signature style and tone into the MCU in this cosmic adventure that's also a straight-up comedy, following Thor on his journey to prevent the total destruction of his home world, Asgard.
"Beautifully filmed with serious kinetic energy by director Taika Waititi, with a crackling script, 'Thor: Ragnarok' is a heap of fun. Cue 'Immigrant Song,'" wrote Kristen Lopez for Culturess.
7 (tie). "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021)
Zendaya and Tom Holland in "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
"Spider-Man: No Way Home's" charms are impossible to deny, even if the plot has more holes than Swiss cheese.
For Marvel movie fans, it's hard to imagine something more satisfying than seeing Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire together on screen, discussing their rogues' galleries, Tobey's weird web situation, or how with great power comes great responsibility.
"Throughout all of it, the weird and complex history of Spider-Man as a cinematic icon isn't a hindrance to the story; instead, it's an enhancement, using the quirks of the character's legacy as a source of illumination into why he has endured so long," wrote Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence.
The reason that pop culture is what it is today can be boiled down to the mega-success of this movie, which set up an entire cinematic universe, revived Robert Downey Jr.'s career, and boosted director Jon Favreau's status so high that he's now basically one of the auteurs of the entire "Star Wars" universe.
But this film is simple: Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Downey) is kidnapped by a group of terrorists, who lead him to discover that his weapons are landing in the wrong hands. So, he builds a suit of armor and becomes a superhero.
"Led by Downey's career-resurrecting performance as billionaire weapons peddler Tony Stark, it proves just as indispensable to the movie's giddy escapist appeal as the seamless CGI effects and eye-popping pyrotechnics," wrote Craig Outhier of the Orange County Register.
"Endgame," as a movie, is a magic trick. Somehow, this movie crams in 11 years of MCU story-telling, every major character from all of the films, travels back in time to essentially walk through the universe's greatest hits, has real stakes, and makes a three-hour movie fly by.
When the Avengers decide to try to undo Thanos' universe-shattering snap, the original crew from the 2012 movie (with a few notable additions like Karen Gillan's Nebula, Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, and Don Cheadle's War Machine), travel through Marvel history to find the Infinity Stones.
"Eleven years of Universe building, and this is the crescendo. It really pays off, I've never seen anything quite like it," said James Luxford on the BBC.
4 (tie). "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" (2022)
Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special."
Marvel's second special presentation was this 44-minute holiday special focusing on the Guardians trying to give the still-mourning Peter Quill the perfect Christmas with the help of his hero Kevin Bacon.
"Adept at taking B-level comic book characters and turning them into franchise hits, [director James] Gunn does a lot with a little here with Marvel's first-ever holiday special," wrote The Wrap's Karama Horne.
3. "Black Panther" (2018)
Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman in "Black Panther."
After Chadwick Boseman was introduced in "Captain America: Civil War" as Black Panther, fans were waiting with bated breath for his solo film — and they weren't disappointed. "Black Panther" is a riveting story, where the "villain" (a supremely cast Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger) has a very compelling point and even gets the hero, T'Challa, to change his mind.
Supported by all-stars like Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Sterling K. Brown, along with newer finds like Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, "Black Panther" is special. To date, it's the only Marvel movie to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.
"'Black Panther' is a revelation, the first film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that truly feels like an of-the-moment masterwork that also happens to be a comic-book movie," wrote Roxana Hadadi of Chesapeake Family Magazine.
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is an animated series set in an alternate reality. It tells the origin story of yet another Peter Parker, this time voiced by Hudson Thames.
"'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' is surprisingly mature for being this energetic and squishy, a PG-rated take that treats its teen characters with respect by not insulting their intelligence or limiting their growth," wrote Jarrod Jones for The AV Club.
"Ms. Marvel" stars newcomer Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, a normal teenager who stans Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers) — and when she finds an otherworldly bangle connected to her family history, she's able to become more similar to her favorite heroes than she ever thought possible.
With a distinct, fun visual style and amazing supporting performances across the board, "Ms. Marvel" has established a high benchmark for the MCU Disney+ series.
"'Ms. Marvel' doesn't reinvent the superhero wheel. Instead, it dips it in gold and bedazzles it with eye-melting visuals," wrote Eric Francisco of Inverse.
In honor of Monty, we've found photos of some of the Best in Show winners throughout history.
The 149th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show wrapped up in New York on February 11, crowning a new winner: Hearthmore's Wintergreen Mountain, aka Monty.
Monty is the first giant schnauzer in Westminster's history to win the Best in Show title.
Westminster is one of the oldest and most famous dog shows in the world, with days of competition and lots of moving parts behind the scenes.
While it only costs $100 to enter a dog in the show, caring for a show dog involves many other expenses. In 2018, CNBC reported it can cost up to $250,000 a year to get a dog to a big show like Westminster, with expenses like grooming, veterinary services, and promotion. Trainers alone can cost hundreds of dollars per day.
Additionally, adopting a giant schnauzer— the breed of this year's winner — can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500.
Despite the high costs of preparing and ultimately winning the competition, the champion isn't awarded a money prize. Instead, they take home a series of trophies and ribbons for their efforts.
If you're more interested in dog shows from afar — and don't want to spend thousands of dollars — you can take a look at 45 Best in Show winners here, dating back to 1913.
1913: Strathtay Prince Albert, an English bulldog
Strathtay Prince Albert.
Public Domain
After he won the title, The New York Times called this pup "a solidly set, solemn-faced type of the breed."
1915 and 1916: Matford Vic, a wire fox terrier
Matford Vic.
Public Domain
Matford Vic won the top honor back-to-back in both 1915 and 1916, according to The New York Times.
1917 and 1920: Conejo Wycollar Boy, a wire fox terrier
Conejo Wycollar Boy.
Public Domain
Conejo was described by The New York Times as an "aggressive terrier."
1922: Boxwood Barkentine, an Airedale terrier
Boxwood Barkentine.
Public Domain
The American Kennel Club calls the Airedale terrier a "friendly, clever, [and] courageous" breed.
1945: Shieling's Signature, a Scottish terrier
Shieling's Signature.
William C. Shrout/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Three American presidents have had Scottish terriers: Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and George W. Bush, according to Petful.
Wilber won Best in Show just 14 years after the American Kennel Club recognized toy poodles as a breed.
1957: Shirkhan of Grandeur, an Afghan hound
Co-owner Sunny Shay and Shirkhan of Grandeur.
Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images
Shirkhan of Grandeur was the first Afghan hound to win the competition. The champion is pictured with one of its owners, Sunny Shay.
1964: Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth, a whippet
Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth.
Nina Leen/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Courtenay Fleetfoot took a portrait as fancy as his name.
1965: Carmichael's Fanfare, a Scottish terrier
Carmichael's Fanfare.
Bob Gomel/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
She didn't actually respond to Carmichael's Fanfare — her "real" name was Mamie, according to The New York Times.
1968: Stingray of Derryabah, a Lakeland terrier
Stingray of Derryabah.
H. William Tetlow/Fox Photos/Getty Images
Stingray was one of only two dogs in history to win both the Westminster Dog Show and Crufts — the two biggest dog shows in the world.
1970: Arriba's Prima Donna, a boxer
Arriba's Prima Donna.
Ron Frehm/AP Images
"She is bringing elegance back to boxers," Anna Katherine Nicholas, that year's judge, told The New York Times.
1975: Sir Lancelot of Barvan, old English sheepdog
The dog was also known as Dudley.
Toronto Star via Getty Images
When he was at home in Canada with his owners, Ronald and Barbara Vanword, he was known simply as Dudley.
Before the win, the 3-year-old dog had been Best in Show in Canada 20 times, The New York Times reported in 1975.
1982: St. Aubrey Dragonora of Elsdon, a Pekingese
St. Aubrey Dragonora of Elsdon.
Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images
St. Aubrey, or Lee Lee as she was known, retired the year after she won Best in Show.
1988: Great Elms Prince Charming II, a Pomeranian
Great Elms Prince Charming II.
Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images
Prince Charming was small enough to fit inside the trophy. Pomeranians can weigh as little as three pounds.
1996: Clussexx Country Sunrise, a clumber spaniel
Clussexx Country Sunrise.
JON LEVY/AFP/Getty Images
While the name comes from an estate in England, no one is sure where the clumber spaniel came from.
1997: Parsifal Di Casa Netzer, a standard schnauzer
Parsifal Di Casa Netzer.
Adam Nadel/AP Images
Schnauzers come in three sizes: giant, standard, and miniature.
1998: Fairewood Frolic, a Norwich terrier
Fairewood Frolic.
Ron Frehm/AP Images
Fairewood Frolic, who went by Rocki, was two weeks pregnant at the time of her win.
1999: Loteki Supernatural Being, a Papillon
Loteki Supernatural Being.
Jon Gordon/Getty Images
Why the long name? According to the American Kennel Club, there are specific rules for naming your dog, including choosing both a kennel name and a litter name. You also must register each competing dog's name, to ensure no overlap.
So, Loteki Supernatural Being it is.
2000: Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless, an English springer spaniel
Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless.
Mark Lennihan/AP Images
What a mouthful — her call name, or actual name, was Samantha.
2001: Special Times Just Right, a bichon frise
Special Times Just Right.
Mark Lennihan/AP Images
Bichon frises, with their fluffy white coats, are among the most hypoallergenic dogs out there.
2002: Surrey Spice Girl, a miniature poodle
Surrey Spice Girl.
Ron Frehm/AP Images
According to The New York Times, that year's judge, W. Everett Dean Jr., said of Surrey Spice Girl: "She was gorgeous. Size, balance, coat, feet, movement, she had it all. She never took a wrong step."
2003: Torums Scarf Michael, a Kerry blue terrier
Torums Scarf Michael.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Torums Scarf Michael, also known as Mike, won the Westminster Dog Show in 2003, solidifying his spot in history.
He was, and still is, the only dog to have won the "Triple Crown" of dog shows: Westminster, Crofts, and the AKC/Eukanuba National Invitational.
2004: Darbydale's All Rise Pouch Cove, a Newfoundland
Darbydale's All Rise Pouch Cove.
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
The Star-Ledger reported that this gentle giant, better known as Josh, worked as a therapy dog after his big win.
2005: Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses, a German shorthaired pointer
Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Autumn Roses, better known as Carlee, was the second-ever German shorthaired pointer — and she was descended from the first winner, according to ESPN.
2006: Rocky Top's Sundance Kid, a bull terrier
Rocky Top's Sundance Kid.
STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
The American Kennel Club describes bull terriers as "playful, charming, and mischievous."
2007: Felicity's Diamond Jim, an English springer spaniel
Felicity's Diamond Jim.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
"I had a lot of great dogs to choose from. But this one stood out. He had that look in his eye that said, 'It's my night.' He had great temperament. It was an honor to judge him," said judge Robert Indeglia, according to The New York Times.
2008: K-Run's Park Me In First, a beagle
K-Run's Park Me In First.
Joe Kohen/WireImage)
K-Run's Park Me In First, aka Uno, was the first Westminster winner to visit the White House. He met President George W. Bush.
2009: Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, a Sussex spaniel
Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee.
Janette Pellegrini/WireImage
Stump, the call name of Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, was the oldest Westminster winner ever, at age 10.
2010: Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, a Scottish terrier
Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
Roundtown Mercedes won over 100 top prizes.
2011: Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, a Scottish deerhound
Foxcliffe Hickory Wind.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Scottish deerhounds can reach over 100 pounds, making Foxcliffe one of the largest winners.
2012: Palacegarden Malachy, a Pekingese
Palacegarden Malachy.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
According to the American Kennel Club, Chinese legend states that the Buddha created the Pekingese dog by shrinking down a lion to dog-size. We can see the resemblance.
2013: Banana Joe V Tani Kazari, an Affenpinscher
Banana Joe V Tani Kazari.
STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
"This isn't a breed you train. He's like a human. You befriend him," Banana Joe's handler, Ernesto Lara, told The New York Times.
2014: Afterall Painting The Sky, a wire fox terrier
Afterall Painting The Sky.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Wire fox terriers have won Best in Show 15 times, more than any other breed.
2015: Tashtins Lookin' For Trouble, a beagle
Tashtins Lookin' For Trouble.
Dave Kotinsky/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
If you want to end up like this pup, affectionately called Miss P., it can cost an owner up to $250,000 to get their dog to Westminster, reported CNBC in 2018. It's likely even more now.
2016: C.J., or Vjk-Myst Garbonita's California Journey, a German shorthaired pointer
Vjk-Myst Garbonita's California Journey.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Handler Valerie Nunes-Atkinson sits beside German shorthaired pointer C.J. after he won Best in Show on February 16, 2016.
2017: Rumor Has It, a German shepherd
Rumor Has It.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Rumor welcomed a litter of eight puppies in August 2017.
2018: Belle Creek's All I Care About Is Love, a bichon frise
Belle Creek's All I Care About Is Love.
IMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
This good boy, who answers to Flynn, beat almost 3,000 dogs to win Best in Show.
2019: Kingarthur Van Foliny Home, a wire fox terrier
Kingarthur Van Foliny Home.
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
In 2019, the wire fox terriers continued their Best in Show dominance, with Kingarthur taking the crown.
2020: Stone Run Afternoon Tea, a standard poodle
Stone Run Afternoon Tea.
Carlo Allegri/Reuters
This immaculately groomed pooch, also known as Siba to her owners, was the fifth poodle to win Best in Show at Westminster and the first since 2002.
2021: Pequest Pickwick, a Pekingese
Wasabi.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
Wasabi, as he's also known, was the fifth Pekingese to win, and the first since 2012's champion Palacegarden Malachy.
2022: Flessner's Toot My Own Horn, a bloodhound
Trumpet.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Trumpet, as his owners call him, was the first bloodhound to ever win Best in Show at Westminster. We bet his very floppy ears helped him take the night's top prize.
2023: Soletrader Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen
Buddy Holly.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Westminster Kennel Club
Buddy Holly was the first PBGV to win Best in Show at Westminster.
"I never thought a PBGV would do this," handler and co-owner Janice Hayes told AP News. "Buddy Holly is the epitome of a show dog. Nothing bothers him."
2024: Surrey Sage, a miniature poodle
Surrey Sage.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Westminster Kennel Club
Sage, as she's known to her owners and handlers, is the fourth miniature poodle to win Best in Show — the breed previously won in 1943, 1959, and 2002.
2025: Hearthmore's Winter Green, a giant schnauzer
Hearthmore's Winter Green.
Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Westminster Kennel Club
This "giant" guy who goes by Monty made Westminster history as the first giant schnauzer to win Best in Show.
Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon have costarred in multiple films based on "SNL" sketches.
Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Alchemy
"Saturday Night Live" has been on the air for 50 years and produced thousands of sketches.
Some sketches become so popular that they make the jump from TV to the big screen.
"Wayne's World," "MacGruber," and "The Blues Brothers" all originated on "SNL."
The three-hour 50th anniversary special of "SNL" will air on Sunday, February 16. The guest lineup includes celebrities who have hosted or been the musical guest throughout the decades, including Robert De Niro, Adam Driver, Kim Kardashian, Sabrina Carpenter, Ayo Edebiri, John Mulaney, and Paul McCartney.
In addition to providing a platform for A-listers to test out their comedic chops, "SNL" has been the launching pad for many sketch comedians who have gone on to become huge movie stars — in some cases, that includes taking a popular sketch character from Studio 8H to the big screen.
There have been 11 movies based on "SNL" sketches, spanning 30 years of the show's tenure. Here's how each one stacks up, according to critics.
"It's Pat" is based on a series of sketches starring Julia Sweeney as Pat, one of the most annoying people on the planet, but the whole joke is that nobody can figure out what gender Pat is.
In the film, Pat falls in love with Chris, another androgynous person (played by Dave Foley). The two deal with a stalker, Kyle (fellow "SNL" star Charles Rocket), who becomes obsessed with figuring out their genders. That's the whole film.
"Ever hear the one about the pic that was too bad to be released, so it escaped? Well, that old joke now has a new punchline: 'It's Pat,' a shockingly unfunny 'Saturday Night Live' spinoff," wrote Joe Leydon for Variety.
"A Night at the Roxbury" is based on "The Roxbury Guys" sketches, which starred Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell as two oblivious club rats with a talent for jerking their necks to the beat of "What Is Love" by Haddaway.
The film stretches out this premise across 82 minutes. Kattan and Ferrell star as the Butabi brothers, two aspiring womanizers who dream of getting into the famed Roxbury nightclub one day.
"Let's look at the bright side. America is still the land of opportunity if Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan can make a movie," wrote Mick LaSalle for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Tim Meadows appeared in multiple sketches as Leon Phelps, a sex therapist and radio host. In "The Ladies Man," Leon is fired from his job — but hope is not lost since a former flame has offered to support him financially. He just has to figure out who she is.
"When Meadows's three-minute sketch persona is stretched out to cover a whole movie, the cracks soon start to show," wrote The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw.
Al Franken created the character of Stuart Smalley during his tenure on the show in the '90s. He's a spoof of self-help gurus, and in his various appearances, he led meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and other support groups.
In the film, Stuart is dedicated to saving his troubled family while dealing with losing his public access TV show.
Peter Rainer wrote for the Los Angeles Times, "It was much funnier when we didn't see Stuart's family. And, if we have to see them, it would have been much funnier if they were strait-laced '50s sitcom types."
One of Molly Shannon's most famous "SNL" characters is Mary Katherine Gallagher, a Catholic school student with a talent for pratfalls, accidentally exposing her underwear, sniffing her armpits, and saying her catchphrase: "Superstar!"
In the film, Mary Katherine is determined to become a star and win the affection of her crush, Sky (Will Ferrell), against all odds.
"Contrasting the erotic with the disgusting is usually provocative and can be funny, but not in this underdog comedy," wrote Lisa Alspector for Chicago Reader.
The Conehead family — a family of aliens with cone-shaped heads — first appeared on "SNL" in 1977, in the show's second season.
Sixteen years later, original actors Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin united with '90s "SNL" stars Chris Farley, Michael McKean, David Spade, Adam Sandler, and Phil Hartman; stars from other "SNL" eras like Jon Lovitz and Jan Hooks; and more to bring the Coneheads to the big screen.
"'Coneheads' falls flat about as often as it turns funny, and displays more amiability than style," wrote The New York Times' Janet Maslin.
After the death of original Blues Brother John Belushi in 1982, it seemed unlikely that viewers would ever see the suit-wearing, sunglasses-rocking, blues-loving brothers again.
Instead, in 1998, the Blues Brothers returned, replacing Belushi with John Goodman as Mack McTeer, another vocalist.
"The sequel offers more of the same, only less," wrote Joe Leydon for Variety.
"MacGruber" is a pretty direct spoof of the '80s TV show "MacGyver," in which Richard Dean Anderson played Angus MacGyver, a secret agent who can build anything with even the sparsest of tools.
On the flip side, Will Forte plays MacGruber, a secret agent who always attempts to disarm a bomb but gets distracted and lets the bomb go off every time. The film is much of the same, but it didn't get great reviews at the time of its release.
However, Forte brought the character back in 2021 for a Peacock miniseries of the same name — and while critics may not have gotten MacGruber's appeal in 2010, the 2021 series has an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, which would make it the best-reviewed project on this list.
"Any fans of satire who haven't checked out 'MacGruber' yet, prepare to be converted into believers like the man himself when he finally uses a gun for the first time," wrote Joe Berkowitz for Vulture.
This sequel to "Wayne's World" was seen by some as a disappointment, but it's never a bad time to hang out with best friends Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) as they try to create their own music festival, aptly titled "Waynestock."
"The sequel to last year's breakaway hit offers more of the same, but it's somehow fresher, funnier, and more endearing than the airheaded original," wrote The Washington Post's Joe Brown.
"The Blues Brothers" wasn't your typical "SNL" sketch — in fact, it wasn't really a sketch at all. It was just an excuse for friends and blues lovers Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi to get onstage and play the blues together. They didn't even have character names or backgrounds until the first Blues Brothers album was released in 1978.
The film expands upon the backstory created for the 1978 album and stars Aykroyd and Belushi as Elwood Blues and Jake Blues, respectively. The two are "blood brothers" united by their love of blues and the orphanage where they grew up.
Victoria Luxford of the BBC called the film "one of the great American comedy films" and said, "It's just a joy to watch even 43 years on. John Belushi was never better as the lead. He's funny just standing there."
According to critics, the best movie based on an "SNL" sketch is "Wayne's World. " The film is based on the sketches of the same name, starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, two rock 'n' roll lovers who host a public access TV show from their basement in Aurora, Illinois.
In the film, Wayne and Garth's show catches the eye of a ruthless producer, Benjamin (Rob Lowe), who forces the two to sell out and go corporate. Of course, this doesn't go well.
"Amazingly, the patched-together and padded screen version manages to amuse, if only through the sheer brazenness of its stupidity," wrote Jim Farber for the New York Daily News.
The Super Bowl stage is an iconic venue, but not every musician wants to perform on it.
Artists including Adele and Pink have turned it down.
The NFL doesn't have the best track record with choosing performers for the Super Bowl halftime show — performances by Maroon 5 or the Black Eyed Peas come to mind — but it's not for lack of trying.
Multiple artists who would have put on a great show have been asked to perform for the 100 million-plus people watching the big game but, for various reasons, have reportedly turned it down.
While the NFL has gotten it right for the last few years (see: Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Dr. Dre and friends, and The Weeknd), we'd like to see these artists take on the Super Bowl, even if they've declined in the past.
Adele
Adele.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AD
Adele said during a concert in August 2016 that she had been asked to perform at the 2017 halftime show but turned it down.
"First of all, I'm not doing the Super Bowl. I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don't really — I can't dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no," she said, after the British tabloid The Sun reported on rumors she was set to take the stage.
However, the NFL and Pepsi told Billboard a different story.
"The NFL and Pepsi are big fans of Adele. We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else," they said in a joint statement, per Billboard.
Pink's love of aerial stunts and plethora of bops make her an easy suggestion for the halftime show — in fact, she has performed at the big game, albeit to perform the national anthem in 2018.
However, when the NFL asked her to play the halftime show in 2019, she turned it down.
She told Billboard in 2019 she was reluctant to play for a couple of reasons. First, "everybody that does it gets so persecuted," she said.
Then she added that the NFL probably wouldn't appreciate her support of Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who famously kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, a move that sparked both support and criticism.
"I'd probably take a knee and get carried out," Pink said.
"They should only give it, because of the controversy, to African-American or Latina women for a while," she continued.
Maroon 5 went on to headline the show, joined by Travis Scott and Big Boi.
In 2018, the NFL league banned on-field kneel protests.
In 2020, four years after Kaepernick first kneeled, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized to Black players in the league.
"We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier, and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest," he said in a statement. "We the National Football League believe Black lives matter. I personally protest with you, and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country."
Jay-Z
Jay-Z.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Jay-Z and Roc Nation produced the 2020 halftime show starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, but the "99 Problems" rapper has never appeared himself, even though his wife, Beyoncé, has appeared twice.
During a 2020 interview with The New York Times, he revealed he'd been offered the halftime show at one point — as long as he brought out Kanye West and Rihanna to perform their hit "Run This Town."
"That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they're going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing," he said.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift in Miami.
John Shearer/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Swift was reportedly offered the stage at the 2023 Super Bowl, per Variety.
However, TMZ reported that she declined the opportunity to instead focus on re-recording her first six albums and, though we didn't know it at the time, to prepare for her multi-billion-dollar, world-spanning Eras Tour.
Of course, last year, Swift was at the Super Bowl, but as a spectator to watch her boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. As the Chiefs will be playing again this year, we'll probably see another Swift appearance in New Orleans.
Outkast
Outkast.
Scott Gries/Getty
According to Big Boi, he and André 3000 were asked to perform at the halftime show, but André turned the NFL down on behalf of Outkast.
During a 2015 episode of "The Dan Le Batard Show" on ESPN, Big Boi said his other half "didn't want to cut the songs, he wanted to do the full songs. It was like, 'Nah, can't do it.'"
In particular, he didn't want to shorten "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move." These song choices can help narrow down the year — this all potentially happened ahead of the 2004 Super Bowl, as the album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" was released in September 2003.
Instead, a large group of musicians performed that year: Jessica Simpson, Ocean Soul, Spirit of Houston, Diddy, Kid Rock, Nelly, and infamously, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
Big Boi performed in 2019, though André 3000 was nowhere to be found.
Cardi B
Cardi B.
Jordan Strauss/AP Images
The "Bodak Yellow" rapper told the Associated Press she had declined the offer to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl with "mixed feelings" due to her conflicting love of football and her desire to support Colin Kaepernick.
"I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there's a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him," she said.
She also addressed criticisms of her decision to perform at Super Bowl parties.
"I hear people saying like 'Oh, y'all are saying all this stuff about the Super Bowl, but you're doing all these parties. And it's like, well, if the NFL could benefit off from us, then I'm going to benefit off y'all," she continued.
But perhaps Cardi's mind could be changed in the future. Rihanna voiced similar concerns in 2019 before going on to headline the show in 2023.
"There's still a lot of mending to be done in my eyes, but it's powerful to break those doors, and have representation at such a high, high level and a consistent level," Rihanna told British Vogue.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton.
Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
In November 2023, Parton told The Hollywood Reporter she'd turned down the Super Bowl — and not just once.
"Oh, sure. I've been offered that many times. I couldn't do it because of other things, or I just didn't think I was big enough to do it — to do that big of a production," she said. "When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I've never done anything with that big of a production. I don't know if I could have."
Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The 2025 Grammys took place at the Crypto.com Arena in California on Sunday.
The stars were out for music's biggest night.
Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Shaboozey, and Chappell Roan were all spotted mingling.
The 2025 Grammys are officially over, but we'll always have these photos to remind us what a fun night it was for both the viewers and the stars in the room.
The biggest musicians of the moment attended the awards show at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, showing off their red-carpet fashion and honoring the best music of 2024.
Trevor Noah was the master of ceremonies for the fifth time in a row and while he can run the show like a well-oiled machine for CBS, some of the most iconic moments of the night happened off-screen.
Take a look at some of the best candid photos from the 2025 Grammy Awards you might have missed.
In what may be the image of the night, Taylor Swift raised a glass to Kendrick Lamar after his record of the year win.
Taylor Swift raised a glass as Kendrick Lamar accepted the record of the year award for "Not Like Us" onstage during the 67th Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Swift, who collaborated with Lamar originally on "Bad Blood" in 2014, and again in 2023 for "Bad Blood (Taylor's Version)," was spotted dancing and singing along when Lamar won record of the year for his Drake diss "Not Like Us."
Reigning pop girlies Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan posed together.
Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter. and Chappell Roan at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty Images
It was all smiles and hugs for these three, who were up against each other in album of the year, song of the year, and record of the year.
Willow Smith hitched a ride from her dad, Will.
Willow Smith and Will Smith at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The Oscar winner was at the show to honor Quincy Jones.
Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge snapped a selfie.
Louis Partridge and Olivia Rodrigo attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Rodrigo and Partridge didn't walk the red carpet together, but they were still one of the best-dressed couples of the evening.
Coco Jones and Queen Latifah also took a selfie together.
Coco Jones and Queen Latifah attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Jones was nominated for best R&B performance and best R&B song, while Latifah was on hand to present Alicia Keys with the Dr. Dre Global Impact award.
Shaboozey had a busy evening and talked with many of his fellow musicians. He stopped at Noah Kahan and Kelsea Ballerini's table.
Chase Stokes, Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, and Shaboozey at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Ballerini and Kahan were nominated for best country duo/group performance, but lost to Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé.
He also met Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga and Shaboozey at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The two shook hands.
And he looked like he was deep in conversation with Chappell Roan.
Chappell Roan and Shaboozey at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
He lost best new artist to her, but clearly, there are no hard feelings.
Chappell Roan also had quite the busy evening.
Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
In addition to winning best new artist, giving a speech calling out record labels for failing to support their musicians, and bringing the house down with a performance of "Pink Pony Club," Roan also had time to giggle with Sabrina Carpenter.
Taylor Swift was spotted whispering to Roan during the ceremony.
Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
As Roan says, she's "your favorite artist's favorite artist."
Shakira hugged Gloria Estefan.
Gloria Estefan and Shakira at the 67th GRAMMY Awards
Christopher Polk/Billboard/Getty Images
Estefan, who won best global music performance earlier in the night, was there to introduce Shakira.
Shakira gave Beyoncé a quick hug during her performance while Blue Ivy and Jay-Z looked on.
Shakira and Beyoncé at the 67th Grammys Awards.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
The two collaborated on 2007's "Beautiful Liar."
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini continued to be a cute couple.
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Carpenter, who won three Grammys this year, received some love from Swift. Carpenter was one of the openers on the Eras Tour.
Alicia Keys and Lena Waithe looked happy to see each other.
Alicia Keys and Lena Waithe attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Waithe was on hand to support her partner, Cynthia Erivo, who performed as part of the tribute to Quincy Jones.
Keys won a Grammy for best musical theater album — her songs were used in the musical "Hell's Kitchen."
Troye Sivan got a selfie with Charli XCX and George Daniel of The 1975.
Troye Sivan, Charli XCX, and George Daniel at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty Images
"Brat" singer Charli XCX performed a medley of "Von Dutch" and "Guess" at the end of the night. It was announced during the show that all the unused underwear from her performance would be donated.
Doechii had an animated discussion with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
Doechii, Jay-Z, and Alicia Keys at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty Images
Doechii won her first Grammy for best rap album, making her the third woman to ever win the award after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B.
Olivia Rodrigo was living her best life during Janelle Monáe's performance.
Janelle Monáe at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty Images
Monáe channeled Michael Jackson to perform "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" as part of the Quincy Jones tribute. She even moonwalked!
Margaret Qualley and Miley Cyrus posed together.
Margaret Qualley and Miley Cyrus attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Qualley attended the ceremony with her husband, Jack Antonoff, who was nominated multiple times. Cyrus presented Kendrick Lamar with record of the year.
Lainey Wilson and Teddy Swims chatted.
Lainey Wilson and Teddy Swims attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/Getty Images
The 67th Grammy Awards were held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Celebrity couples like Mark Manio and Scott Hoying hit the red carpet in coordinating ensembles.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend wore coordinating dark looks.
The 67th Grammy Awards took place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the venue formerly known as Staples Center and home to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In typical Grammys fashion, the biggest names in music and entertainment came out in full force to celebrate the biggest songs, albums, and artists of the year.
Some of the night's biggest nominees, from Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, to Chappell Roan, walked the red carpet in eye-catching looks.
Celebrity couples like Chrissy Teigen and John Legend also made a splash, hitting the red carpet in coordinating looks that embodied the phrase "power couple."
Photos show the best-dressed celebrity couples at this year's Grammys.
Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley
Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard/Getty Images
Antonoff, a six-time nominee this year, wore a black suit with a white T-shirt underneath. His wife, Qualley, wore an ivory tulle skirt paired with white ballet flats.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/Getty Images
Teigen wore an eye-catching mermaid dress designed by Christian Siriano, while Legend wore a uniquely patterned brown suit designed by Louis Vuitton.
Louis Partridge and Olivia Rodrigo
Louis Partridge and Olivia Rodrigo attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Partridge didn't walk the red carpet with his girlfriend, but the two were spotted inside. He wore a black suit with a white T-shirt.
Rodrigo walked the red carpet in a vintage Versace dress with a plunging neckline and multiple cutouts.
Mark Manio and Scott Hoying
Mark Manio and Scott Hoying attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The Pentatonix singer opted for a monochromatic brown look with a jacket accented with a large rose brooch.
His husband, Manio, complemented him well with a brown shirt and blazer, and light-pink pants.
Heidi Klum and Tom Kaulitz
Heidi Klum and Tom Kaulitz attend the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Klum and Kaulitz both chose light neutrals for the evening. Klum wore a strapless silver gown with detached puffy sleeves, while her husband, the Tokio Hotel guitarist Kaulitz, wore an all-white look with beige sneakers.
Rika Tischendorf and Babyface
Rika Tischendorf and Babyface attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images
Babyface wore a black suit with lapels encrusted in crystals. His girlfriend, Tischendorf, wore a skin-colored gown also covered in crystals.
Claudia Sulewski and Finneas
Claudia Sulewski and Finneas attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Sulewski wore a jade-green dress with a cowl neckline. She walked the red carpet with her boyfriend, Finneas, a four-time nominee this year. He wore a monochromatic brown suit designed by Zegna.
Paris Hilton and Carter Reum
Paris Hilton and Carter Reum at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Hilton wore a '70s-inspired shimmering golden gown with a matching cape and gloves. Reum wore a black checkered suit jacket with black pants.
The 67th annual Grammy Awards are underway at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Some celebrities nailed the glamorous vibe of the event, but others missed the mark.
Chrishell Stause wore a white jumpsuit that was a little too bridal.
Music's biggest stars often take major fashion risks at the Grammy Awards … but they don't always pay off.
At the 67th Grammy Awards, which are taking place on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, some stars got it right with their red-carpet outfits. Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish wore high-fashion looks ripped straight from the runway, while others like Raye and Kacey Musgraves leaned into classic, sophisticated glamour.
However, other looks on the red carpet fell short — some were too gaudy, others overwhelmed the celebrities wearing them, and some were just far too daring.
Here are looks that missed the mark at the 2025 Grammys.
Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Ballerini at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Ballerini's makeup and hair were flawless, and the neckline shape of her black beaded minidress added intrigue to an otherwise safe option.
However, the entire Tamara Ralphlook was overwhelmed by the oversized off-the-shoulder opera coat that trailed behind her.
Chrishell Stause
Chrishell Stause at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard/Getty Images
The "Selling Sunset" star's Galia Lahav look, which featured a lace, boned bodice and wide-legged pants, would've worked as a white jumpsuit, but the added skirt is too much — it's more bridal than red carpet.
Jaden Smith
Jaden Smith at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty Images
Smith has never been one for subtle red-carpet fashion, and the 2025 Grammys were no different. The castle headpiece veered too odd for our tastes, and his Louis Vuitton suit was part-classic, part-cartoonish with its oversized arms and nipped-in waist.
Drew Afualo
Drew Afualo at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty Images
The TikTok star's look had too much going on. The pink and gray mismatched panels almost look unfinished, and the triangular clasp on the waist doesn't match with the rest of the look.
Lakecia Benjamin
Lakecia Benjamin at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The saxophonist would look more at home at Comic-Con in this superhero-inspired golden ensemble.
It featured a spandex one-piece, a shimmering gold cape, and metallic golden boots.
Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard/Getty Images
Kahan's ivory suit and pants were an odd pairing with a pure-white shirt and tie — and the pants look like they could use an iron or a fresh press.
Sierra Ferrell
Sierra Ferrell attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Grammy winner Sierra Ferrell walked the red carpet in a pearl-covered ball gown that was more costume than couture. The look featured a pearlescent tulle overskirt that overwhelmed her, and the matching scepter and headpiece were just a little too over-the-top.
Poppy
Poppy attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Poppy walked the red carpet in a look by Simone Rocha that featured a red jacket that slightly resembled a raincoat and a light-pink tulle skirt. The final look seemed a touch too juvenile for the glamorous event.
St. Vincent
St. Vincent attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/Getty Images
St. Vincent wore a business-inspired look that featured an open-front, black blazer, and fishnet tights. Finished with a pair of white dress socks, the look felt too casual for the Grammys red carpet.
The 67th annual Grammys were held at the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Crypto.com Arena, and hosted for the fifth time by comedian and former "Daily Show" host Trevor Noah.
Grammy nominee Chappell Roan walked the red carpet in an archival gown by Jean Paul Gaultier from 2003 that featured images of ballerinas and a pin-cushion boutonnière, while Olivia Rodrigo attended in a vintage Versace look and Tiffany & Co. jewels.
Photos show this year's best-dressed Grammy attendees.
Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The first-time Grammy nominee wore a vintage gown by Jean Paul Gaultier from the design house's spring/summer couture 2003 collection.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter wore a backless gown by JW Anderson with feather detailing.
Billie Eilish and Finneas
Billie Eilish and Finneas attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The sibling duo rocked matching monochromatic looks. Finneas wore Zegna, while Billie Eilish wore a full Prada ensemble and hat.
Cardi B
Cardi B at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Cardi B wore a sequined gown by Roberto Cavalli with a flowing feather train.
Raye
Raye attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Raye wore a floor-length black gown by Armani Privé and De Beers jewelry.
Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
The "That's So True" singer wore a custom gown and veil by Chanel.
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The singer, who toured with Grammy nominee Charli XCX last year, wore a custom Prada suit.
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Chrissy Teigen wore a daring sheer gown by Christian Siriano.
Benson Boone
Benson Boone attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Benson Boone elevated a classic menswear silhouette in Dolce & Gabbana.
Charli XCX
Charli XCX attends the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The "Guess" singer took to the red carpet in a custom gown by Ludovic de Saint Sernin for Jean Paul Gaultier and accessories by Bucherer Fine Jewelry.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The "Wicked" star walked the red carpet in Louis Vuitton.
Shaboozey
Shaboozey at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Shaboozey wore a grey-leather houndstooth jacket, black pants, and a De Beers brooch.
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard/Getty Images
The "Deeper Well" singer wore a fringed gown by Ralph Lauren with a tank-style top.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
The pop superstar, who could break the record for most album of the year wins, rocked a custom red minidress by Vivienne Westwood. She accessorized the look with red heels and a leg chain with a tiny "T."
Doechii
Doechii attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The "Denial is a River" singer walked the red carpet in a Thom Browne gown that resembled a suit and tie.
"I feel incredible," she told E! on the red carpet. "I'm in Thom Browne head to toe. I feel like a doll."
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Olivia Rodrigo walked the Grammys red carpet in a vintage Versace gown.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Miley Cyrus wore a leather gown with bold cutouts by Saint Laurent.
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Paris Hilton wore a '70s-inspired gold gown and sheer cape.
Coco Jones
Coco Jones at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Coco Jones, who was nominated for best R&B song and best R&B performance, wore a red silk gown with bold cutouts.
Willow Smith
Willow Smith at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Willow Smith wore a bold star-covered lingerie set and flowing black jacket. Her look was designed by Versace.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Lady Gaga walked the red carpet in a custom Vivienne Westwood gown similar to the jacket worn on the cover of her coming album, "Mayhem."
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Alicia Keys wore a Baroque-inspired gown with dramatic earrings.
J Balvin
J Balvin at the 67th annual Grammy Awards.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
J Balvin wore an oversize black coat on the Grammy Awards red carpet.
Mikayla Geier
Mikayla Geier attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/Getty Images
Mikayla Geier wore a red gown with a balconette-style neckline.
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe attended the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Janelle Monáe wore a navy Area suit, which was more toned down for the singer — a purposeful choice, her stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn told The Hollywood Reporter.
"We pulled things that were more avant-garde, a bit more wacky and out there, but that doesn't feel like the mindset right now," Mandelkorn said, referencing the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Christopher Polk/Billboard/Getty Images
Beyoncé, who didn't walk the red carpet, accepted her award for best country album in a crystal-covered paisley gown and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Music's biggest night was filled with high-energy performances, heartwarming speeches, more than a few tears, and some surprise wins.
A few records were broken this year, and Beyoncé finally won album of the year for "Cowboy Carter."
Until we do it all again next year, here are some of the current record-holders, including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and U2.
In 2025, Post Malone became the most-nominated artist without a single win.
Post Malone at the Clive Davis pre-Grammys party.
Michael Tran/AFP/Getty Images
Malone has been nominated 18 times across various categories but has never won a Grammy. He lost this year in best pop duo/group performance, record of the year, song of the year, best music video, best country album, best recording package, best country duo/group performance, and best country song.
He took this record over from Snoop Dogg, who's been nominated 17 times across 22 years.
Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win best rap performance seven times.
Kendrick Lamar won five awards at the 2025 Grammys.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
With "Not Like Us," Lamar took home his seventh best rap performance Grammy Award. In the past, he's won for "Alright," "Humble," "King's Dead," "Family Ties," "The Heart Part 5," and "The Hillbillies."
At the 2024 Grammys, Taylor Swift became the first musical artist to win album of the year four times.
Taylor Swift accepts the award for best pop vocal album at the 2024 Grammys.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Swift has won album of the year four times: In 2010 for "Fearless," in 2016 for "1989," in 2021 for "Folklore," and most recently, in 2024 for "Midnights."
Before that night, she was in a four-way tie with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder with three wins each in the category. But now, she stands alone.
She also won best pop vocal album for "Midnights," her second win in that category after "1989."
Victoria Monét gave an inspirational speech about never giving up — she became the oldest best new artist winner at 34 years old.
Victoria Monét with her three Grammy Awards.
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Monét, whose career as a songwriter started in 2010, likened her career to a plant with roots that took years to sprout above ground.
"I just want to say to everybody who has a dream, I want you to look at this as an example," she said during her acceptance speech for best new artist in 2024. "My roots have been growing underneath the ground unseen for so long. And I feel like today I'm sprouting finally above ground."
At 34, Monét became the oldest artist to win best new artist. Before Monét, 33-year-old Sheryl Crow held the honor.
If the band Khruangbin wins the award on Sunday, its members, who are 38, 45, and 48, will be the new oldest winners.
Her daughter, Hazel, was the youngest nominee ever at 2 years old.
John Gaines, Victoria Monét and Hazel Monét Gaines at the Grammys.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard/Getty Images
Monét's 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, is featured on her song "Hollywood," which was nominated in 2024 for best traditional R&B performance, making Hazel the youngest nominee ever.
"She understands she's done something really cool, but I don't think she understands the magnitude," Victoria Monét told People.
They ended up losing to PJ Morton and Susan Carol's song "Good Morning," but Hazel is still the record holder for her nomination.
At the 2021 Grammys, Beyoncé officially became the female artist with the most Grammys when she secured her 28th win.
Beyoncé with some of her many Grammys.
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
When Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion won for their "Savage" collaboration (more on that later), host Trevor Noah announced Beyoncé was tied with Alison Krauss for female artist with the most Grammy wins.
A few moments later, she won her 28th Grammy, best R&B performance, for "Black Parade," and became the female artist with the most Grammys of all time.
She won her first Grammy in 2001 as part of Destiny's Child. They won for best R&B performance by a group and best R&B song for "Say My Name." She was 19.
And at the 2023 Grammys, she became the most-awarded artist in Grammys history with 32 wins.
Beyoncé wins her record-breaking Grammy.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Beyoncé took the crown from Georg Solti, the longtime conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, according to the Grammys website. He won 31 Grammys over 35 years, from 74 nominations.
After taking home her first three Grammys at 2023's event, the "Cuff It" singer made history when she accepted the best dance/electronic album for "Renaissance," her 32nd win overall.
She won another three this year — including album of the year — which brought her total to 35.
Beyoncé is also the most-nominated artist in Grammys history.
They have 188 nominations between the two of them.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Beyoncé overtook her husband, Jay-Z, as the most nominated artist this year, with a career total of 99 nominations.
The "99 Problems" rapper has been nominated 89 times, making him the male artist with the most nominations.
In 2021, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion became the first female performers to win best rap performance.
Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion accept the best rap performance award in 2021.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
A woman had never won this award in its first 11 years of existence. But Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé ended that streak when they took home the award for "Savage."
Beyoncé is also the most-nominated artist without a win in the record of the year category.
Beyoncé at the Grammys.
Jordan Strauss / AP
She was nominated for record of the year for "Say My Name," "Crazy in Love," "Irreplaceable," "Halo," "Formation," "Savage," "Black Parade," Break My Soul," and "Texas Hold 'Em."
Only two people have won the Big Four in one night: Billie Eilish and Christopher Cross.
Billie Eilish and Christopher Cross.
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In 1981, newcomer Cross became the first person to ever win record, song, and album of the year, along with best new artist.
At 18, Eilish also became the youngest artist to win album of the year.
Billie Eilish at the 2020 Grammys.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Eilish won the Grammy for her debut album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?"
The oldest person to win a Grammy was 97-year-old Pinetop Perkins in 2011.
Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith at the 2011 Grammys.
John Shearer/WireImage/Getty Images
Perkins was 97 years old when he won the best traditional blues album award for his album "Joined at the Hip" in 2011. He died just one month later.
But the oldest nominee is Jimmy Carter, who was 100 when he was nominated in November 2024.
Former President Jimmy Carter in September 2018.
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
The former president was nominated for his 10th Grammy last year, at the age of 100, making him the oldest nominee in history. He was nominated for best audiobook, narration & storytelling recording.
The youngest person to win a Grammy was 8-year-old Leah Peasall, who won in 2001.
The Peasall sisters perform, from left: Sarah Peasall, 14; Hannah Peasall, 11; and Leah Peasall, 8.
MARLIN LEVISON/Star Tribune via Getty Images
The Peasall Sisters were featured artists on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, which won album of the year in 2002 (the second soundtrack to ever do so), and the youngest, Leah, was just 8 years old at the time.
In 2021, 9-year-old Blue Ivy Carter won her first (of what we predict will be many) Grammys, making her the second-youngest winner ever.
The Grammys hit a ratings low in 2021, though numbers were up in 2024. By contrast, the most-watched Grammy ceremony was in 1984.
Michael Jackson with an armload of Grammy Awards he won at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards.
Bob Riha Jr./Getty Images
In 1984, around 51.67 million people watched the King of Pop take home eight trophies, including record and album of the year, Billboard reported.
That number is downright unimaginable today. Last year's ceremony was watched by 16.9 million viewers, a four-year high, per Forbes.
The band with the most Grammys is Irish export U2, with 22 wins.
Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen, and Adam Clayton of the band U2 in 2005.
Carlo Allegri/Getty Images
U2 is the group with the most wins of all time — they're also the only group or duo to win album of the year twice (1987's "The Joshua Tree" and 2005's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb").
When Bruno Mars won song of the year for "That's What I Like," he shared the honor with a record-breaking seven other writers.
Bruno Mars.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
There were eight credited songwriters for "That's What I Like," which won song of the year in 2018.
They are Mars himself, Philip Lawrence, Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Johnathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II.
That's the most songwriters to win song of the year, ever.
Bad Bunny's "Un Verano Sin Ti" was the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for album of the year.
Bad Bunny.
Getty/Amy Sussman
The album was nominated for the Grammy for best música urbana album, which it won, in 2023.
One of the album's songs, "Moscow Mule," was also up for best pop solo performance, but it lost to "Easy on Me" by Adele.
Kim Petras became the first trans woman to win best pop duo/group collaboration in 2023.
She went on to thank her friend and producer Sophie, one of the first trans women to be nominated for a Grammy, who died in January 2021.
She also shouted out Madonna and her mom, who "believed me that I was a girl."
The person with the most nominations across various categories is Quincy Jones, who has been nominated 80 times across 15 categories.
Quincy Jones with some of his Grammys.
Susan Ragan/AP
Jones was one of the most prolific producers, songwriters, composers, and musicians of all time, with a career that began over seven decades ago.
According to the Grammys, he's been nominated in 15 categories, with 28 wins from 80 nominations. Those categories are the general category (like album of the year), spoken word, arranging, music video/film, jazz, pop, rap, R&B, children's, musical theater, disco, composition, gospel/contemporary Christian music, music for visual media, and production, non-classical.
He also holds the record for the most-awarded producer (28 wins) and is tied for fourth for most wins in a single night, winning six Grammys in 1991.
Paul McCartney set the record for most nominations in one night without a win almost 60 years ago.
Paul McCartney in 1966.
Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns/Getty Images
McCartney's nominations came primarily from two Beatles songs, "Yesterday" and "Help!"
He was nominated for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, best original score written for a motion picture or TV show, best performance by a vocal group, best contemporary single, best contemporary performance by a group (vocal or instrumental, best vocal performance by a male, and best contemporary vocal performance by a male.
He lost each one, a record that stands to this day.