“Sinners” Director Ryan Coogler Gives Rare Shoutout to His Kids as He Wins Best Original Screenplay at 2026 Oscars

"I want you to remember this one thing: I love y'all more than anything," Coogler said, addressing his and Zinzi Coogler's three children directly

NEED TO KNOW

• Ryan Coogler shouted out his wife Zinzi Coogler and their three children while he accepted the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay on Sunday, March 15
• Ryan and Zinzi have been married since 2016; she is a producer on Ryan’s latest movie Sinners
• Sinners received 16 Oscar nominations; Ryan’s win for Best Original Screenplay was the movie’s first win of the night at the 98th Oscars

Ryan Coogler thanked his wife Zinzi Coogler and the couple's three children while he accepted the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 2026 Oscars.

Sinners writer-director Coogler, 39, attended the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, with his wife Zinzi, who also produced the 1930s-set vampire move. The pair have been married since 2016; they had their first child sometime in 2019 after Zinzi was spotted showing off her baby bump at the 2019 Oscars. While their second child’s birth year is unknown, the couple’s third baby was born in 2025.

"Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler, you guys are the best producers in the world, and Zinzi, you are the best wife and mom in the world," Coogler said during his speech, after Sinners won the Best Original Screenplay award over fellow nominees Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value.

"Every day I get to spend with you is better than the one that came before it," Coogler said of his wife. "And to my parents who are here, thank you for all the memories, thank you for making me believe in myself"

"To my babies that are at home watching, I apologize for all the time away. Dad loves you," he added. "Memories are all we have, and I'll give you some great ones and y'all are blessed to live a long life and [when] Dad becomes just a memory I want you to remember this one thing: I love y'all more than anything. Thank you."

Sinners is nominated for a record 16 Academy Awards at the 98th Oscars: Coogler's win in the Best Original Screenplay category was the film's first win of the evening.

"Please sit down because I'm very nervous and they're going to play me off. I grew up in Richmond in Oakland California and we can talk a lot," Coogler said as he took the stage to accept his statuette.

"I want to thank the Academy for thinking of our movie that came out almost a year ago. This is an incredible honor," he added. "I want to thank my fellow nominees, I want to thank y'all for the gifts that your movies were and for your friendship you guys have given me over the last years and month."

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See PEOPLE's coverage of the 98th Academy Awards, airing live on ABC and Hulu on March 15.

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