Diane Warren Makes Oscars History With Unwanted Record
Legendary American songwriter Diane Warren has entered the record books for an achievement she'd rather not have - becoming the person with the most Oscar nominations without a single competitive win. At the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony, Warren received her 17th nomination but left empty-handed once again, extending her unprecedented losing streak.
The Nomination That Extended The Streak
The 69-year-old songwriter was nominated for Best Original Song for Dear Me, performed by Kesha in the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless. The film chronicles Warren's remarkable career spanning decades, during which she has written hits for artists including Paloma Faith, Toni Braxton, and Taylor Swift. Despite this latest recognition from the Academy, Warren lost out to the team behind Golden from the animated musical film K-Pop Demon Hunters.
This loss officially broke the previous record held by sound mixer Greg P. Russell, who had 16 nominations without a win. Warren's first Oscar nomination came back in 1987 for Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now from the film Mannequin, beginning what would become a nearly four-decade quest for the competitive Oscar that has so far eluded her.
Warren's Reaction and Future Plans
Speaking before the ceremony, Warren acknowledged her competitive nature while expressing gratitude for the honorary Oscar she received in 2022. "I still haven't won the competitive one," she told ABC News. "And I'm a competitive person. It's amazing to have the honorary Oscar - that's harder to get than the competitive. I don't take that for granted. But, yeah, I still want to win."
In a characteristically humorous moment, Warren added: "My honorary Oscar gets really lonely. He wants a friend. He hangs out with Rabbit, my cat, but he prefers to have an Oscar buddy."
Following her loss, Warren took to social media to share her disappointment with trademark resilience. "Well, at least I'm consistent!" she posted, before adding on Facebook: "And I set a new record tonite!! But U know me, I will be back if you'll have me!!!"
Industry Support and Ceremony Controversy
The music industry quickly rallied around Warren after her latest disappointment. Singer Sheila E wrote on Instagram: "Ur still our winner. Love uuuu sis @dianewarren," while Merck Mercuriadis commented: "A bigger achievement than any winner ever." Sterling Elizabeth Day added: "The truth of the matter is there isn't an award big enough to be given for your life's work ... an Oscar isn't worthy of you."
The ceremony itself wasn't without controversy for Warren. Just days before the event, she expressed disappointment that her nominated song wouldn't be performed live. "It would have been nice had [Kesha] been able to perform the song," Warren told USA Today. "And that would have been an amazing moment. I'm not in control of that, but it would have been amazing."
The Academy made the controversial decision to only feature performances of two nominated songs this year - the winning Golden and I Lied To You from Sinners.
The Winning Song Makes History Too
While Warren's loss made history, so did the victory of Golden. The win marked the first Oscar nomination and victory for all seven members of the band behind the song, and it became the first K-Pop track to win in the Best Original Song category.
K-Pop Demon Hunters, the animated musical film that features the winning song, has become a global phenomenon. Netflix has declared it the platform's most-watched film of all time, with hundreds of millions of viewing hours worldwide. The film's soundtrack was the highest-charting of 2025, with eight songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100.
When accepting the award, EJAE of the winning team fought back tears as she said: "This award is not about success, it's about resilience." Following the nominations announcement in January, she had told The Associated Press: "It just doesn't feel real, even right now. I'm just still trying to digest the situation. It's just definitely a dream come true."
Despite the historic nature of her latest loss, Diane Warren's promise to return suggests this may not be the final chapter in her remarkable Oscar journey. With her unparalleled nomination record and continued productivity, the music industry will be watching to see if her 18th attempt might finally break the streak.
