13 Major Snubs & Surprises From The 2025 Oscar Nominations

Awards season is reaching a fever pitch with the arrival of the 2025 Oscar nominations. On Jan. 23, Wicked star Bowen Yang and Bottoms actor Rachel Sennott woke up before dawn in Los Angeles to unveil the nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards. As expected in such a competitive season, there were many pleasant surprises and devastating snubs.

Emilia Pérez leads the pack with 13 nominations, including a historic Best Actress nod for Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly transgender actor to be nominated in an acting category.

Wicked and The Brutalist followed with 10 noms apiece, while Conclave and A Complete Unknown tied with eight nods. All five films will compete for Best Picture, along with Anora, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and The Substance.

The nominations were originally set to be announced on Jan. 17, but were postponed because voting was extended by a week due to the Los Angeles wildfires. The award ceremony will take place as scheduled on March 2 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, with Conan O’Brien taking on hosting duties for the first time.

Below, read the biggest snubs and surprises of this year’s Oscar nods.

Stanley Tucci Gets Snubbed

Oscar nominee Tucci was sadly overlooked in the Best Supporting Actor category for his powerful performance in Conclave. However, his co-stars Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini received nods for the film.

Ariana Grande Gets Her First Nom

Grande received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her acclaimed role as Glinda the Good Witch in the first Wicked film. Her co-star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, was also recognized in the Best Actress category.

Selena Gomez Misses Out

While her Emilia Pérez co-star Zoe Saldaña made it into the Best Supporting Actress category, Gomez sadly missed out on a nomination. While she didn’t receive a nod, the song she performed in the film, “Mi Camino,” did for Best Original Song.

Sebastian Stan Surprises

After winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for his role in A Different Man, Stan also nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Actor — but for an entirely different movie. Instead, he received a nod for playing Donald Trump in The Apprentice.

Challengers Doesn’t Challenge

Sadly, the beloved tennis drama Challengers didn’t garner a single nomination, including Best Actress for Zendaya or Best Original Score.

The Last Showgirl Doesn’t Perform

Despite receiving SAG nominations for their performances in The Last Showgirl, Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis didn’t get any Oscar love.

The Substance Nabs Best Director

Not only did Demi Moore receive a Best Actress nomination for The Substance, filmmaker Coralie Fargeat also nabbed Best Director, and the film got a Best Picture nod, marking a rare feat for a horror film.

Angelina Jolie Gets Snubbed

Jolie telling the tragic story of French opera singer Maria Callas would typically be Oscar bait. Sadly, they didn’t bite, with Jolie getting snubbed in the Best Actress category.

Babygirl Gets Shunned

Somehow, Nicole Kidman winning the Venice Film Festival’s Volpi Cup and drinking milk during her National Board of Review acceptance speech wasn’t enough to score a Best Actress nomination for Babygirl. In fact, the film got shut out altogether.

Nickel Boys Surprises

Despite not getting much recognition this awards season, the historical drama Nickel Boys unexpectedly showed up in the Best Picture category, off the strength of just one other nomination in Best Adapted Screenplay.

Denzel Washington Is Snubbed

While critics considered him the highlight of Gladiator II, 10-time Oscar nominee Washington didn’t garner an 11th nom for Best Supporting Actor.

Fernanda Torres Strikes Again

After her shocking victory at the Golden Globes for Best Actress in a Drama, Torres rode the momentum to a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars for I’m Still Here, which was also recognized in the Best Picture category.

“Nominees To Be Determined”

In the Best Picture category, only a select number of producers are eligible to receive the nominations. But half of the Best Picture nominees, including The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez, didn’t figure out who they were in time, meaning Yang and Sennott were forced to just announce “nominees to be determined” after each film was called out.

“Guys, paperwork,” Sennott joked at the end of the presentation.