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Viola Davis is still laughing about her viral moment at the 2026 Actor Awards.
The 60-year-old actress presented Michael B. Jordan with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role on Sunday, March 1, for his role in Sinners. Jordan’s win came as a surprise to many, and Davis’ emotional reaction, captured on stage as she celebrated loudly through the microphone, quickly went viral. A YouTube clip of the presentation and Jordan’s acceptance speech, shared by Netflix, has already been viewed over 1.3 million times.
“Me and my husband, Julius Tennon, have been laughing for two days,” Davis told Variety, discussing the viral video while promoting her debut novel Judge Stone.
Davis also explained the line she started to say immediately after opening the envelope. She began, “You are shining, Harold Loomis. Shining like new money,” a line from August Wilson’s play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, but interrupted herself to shout Jordan’s name and celebrate his win.
“That line keeps playing in my mind because it captures someone stepping into their purpose,” Davis said. “It gives me goose bumps. That’s how I felt about Michael B. Jordan.” She also admitted, “I’m a screamer, even at my children’s soccer games. I’m the parent running up and down the field.”
Jordan earned his first major awards of the season for his dual roles as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners. He also shared the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with the rest of the Sinners cast. Jordan previously shared the cast award for 2018’s Black Panther at the same ceremony in 2019.
“Michael B. Jordan is an incredible human and an incredible leader,” Davis said. “It’s extremely exciting to see what he’s going to become. Now he’s moving into directing, and he will elevate African American filmmaking in beautiful ways.”
This awards season, Jordan has also received nominations from the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and the upcoming Academy Awards for his performance in Sinners. He is nominated for Best Actor at the 2026 Oscars alongside Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
Sinners set a record in January for the most Oscar nominations for a single film in history, earning a total of 16 nods and further cementing its status as a landmark movie of the year.
The 60-year-old actress presented Michael B. Jordan with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role on Sunday, March 1, for his role in Sinners. Jordan’s win came as a surprise to many, and Davis’ emotional reaction, captured on stage as she celebrated loudly through the microphone, quickly went viral. A YouTube clip of the presentation and Jordan’s acceptance speech, shared by Netflix, has already been viewed over 1.3 million times.
“Me and my husband, Julius Tennon, have been laughing for two days,” Davis told Variety, discussing the viral video while promoting her debut novel Judge Stone.
Davis also explained the line she started to say immediately after opening the envelope. She began, “You are shining, Harold Loomis. Shining like new money,” a line from August Wilson’s play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, but interrupted herself to shout Jordan’s name and celebrate his win.
“That line keeps playing in my mind because it captures someone stepping into their purpose,” Davis said. “It gives me goose bumps. That’s how I felt about Michael B. Jordan.” She also admitted, “I’m a screamer, even at my children’s soccer games. I’m the parent running up and down the field.”
Jordan earned his first major awards of the season for his dual roles as twins Smoke and Stack in Sinners. He also shared the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with the rest of the Sinners cast. Jordan previously shared the cast award for 2018’s Black Panther at the same ceremony in 2019.
“Michael B. Jordan is an incredible human and an incredible leader,” Davis said. “It’s extremely exciting to see what he’s going to become. Now he’s moving into directing, and he will elevate African American filmmaking in beautiful ways.”
This awards season, Jordan has also received nominations from the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and the upcoming Academy Awards for his performance in Sinners. He is nominated for Best Actor at the 2026 Oscars alongside Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
Sinners set a record in January for the most Oscar nominations for a single film in history, earning a total of 16 nods and further cementing its status as a landmark movie of the year.
