The Oscar for the best live-action short at the 98th Annual Academy Awards ended in the least-expected outcome possible: A tie.

Presenter Kumail Namjiani opened the envelope and announced that “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” had gotten the same number of votes.

“It’s a tie. Calm down, we’ll get through this,” he said to a mix of gasps, laughter and applause.

“The Singers” is a story of blue-collar workers drinking in a bar and singing together, a loose adaptation of a short story by the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev.

In his thank-you speech, director Sam A. Fox thanked his producers and cast, and then, well, then he thanked the La Habra Moose Lodge in Orange County, where the movie had been filmed.

Jack Piatt, far left, and Sam A. Davis, center left, winners of the award for live action short film for "The Singers," and Natalie Musteata, center right, and Alexandre Singh, far right, winners of the award for live action short film for "Two People Exchanging Saliva," pose in the press room after tying in the category for live action short film at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)Jack Piatt, far left, and Sam A. Davis, center left, winners of the award for live action short film for “The Singers,” and Natalie Musteata, center right, and Alexandre Singh, far right, winners of the award for live action short film for “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” pose in the press room after tying in the category for live action short film at the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

After “Two People Exchanging Saliva” accepted their Oscar in the same category, host Conan O’Brien walked to the microphone with a grin on his face.

“I just want to say congratulations to both winners,” O’Brien said. “You just ruined 22 million Oscar pools.”

In contrast to that excitement, the Oscar for best supporting actor provided almost no drama whatsoever. Sean Penn won for his role in “One Battle After Another,” making him only the fourth man to win three acting Oscars. Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson and Walter Brennan are the other three.

But Penn did not attend the Oscars on Sunday, continuing a no-show streak that included his recent wins at the BAFTAs and SAG’s Actor Awards.

“It’s still early in the show, and we’ve already got a tie and a no-show for Sean Penn,” O’Brien joked after returning to the stage. “This thing’s a humdinger, ya gotta stay tuned!”