Sean Penn pictured in Ukraine after Oscars no show

Anna Kaufman, USA TODAYMon, March 16, 2026 at 6:55 PM UTC

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After questions swirled about Sean Penn's Oscar no-show, his absence is starting to make more sense.

The 65-year-old actor, nominated during the March 15 Academy Awards for his performance in "One Battle After Another," was not in the theater to accept his trophy after nabbing the coveted best supporting actor honor.

Penn, instead, chose to visit Ukraine, where the actor was photographed walking the streets of the country's capital Kyiv, on Monday, March 16, according to photos by AFP and distributed by Getty Images. Penn was there to show support to the war-torn nation, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

Sean Penn walks down a street in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 16, 2026.

Penn's win during Sunday's Oscars made him a three-time Academy Award winner.

Kieran Culkin, who presented the category, joked after the announcement, "Sean Penn couldn't be here, or didn't want to, so I accept the award on his behalf."

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While he was not in attendance, his "One Battle" costars Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor were present for a night that proved very successful for the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed movie. It took home the night's top honor, best picture, and Anderson won for best director.

1 / 0See the best celebrity photos captured at the 2026 Oscars

Host Conan O'Brien welcomes viewers and audience members to the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, March 15, 2026.

Penn has long advocated for Ukraine and even gifted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an Oscar in 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, and the two countries went to war.

The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that a new examination of photos shows the golden statue Penn gifted Zelenskyy was the one won for "Mystic River," a 2003 crime drama in which he played ex-con Jimmy Marcum.

Penn has released a documentary, "Superpower," that follows his seven trips to Ukraine both before and after Russia's invasion. He is the recipient of Ukraine's Order of Merit in the third degree for his "sincere support and significant contribution to the popularization of Ukraine in the world."

Contributing: Sama Shafiq, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sean Penn pictured in Ukraine after missing Oscars wins

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