Michael B. Jordan celebrates dream win with top Actor Award honor

Michael B. Jordan delivered a poignant speech after winning a top prize at the 2026 Actor Awards on Sunday night.

During the ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Viola Davis presented Jordan with the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Sinners, in which he has dual roles as twin brothers Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore.

Addressing the audience at the event, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, the Black Panther star insisted he wasn't "expecting this at all".

"I'm so honoured and privileged to be nominated in categories with people, actors and humans that I love," he said. "I love their work and what you contribute to our craft. This ride has been unbelievable. So, thank you for welcoming me in and making me feel seen. Ya'll know how I feel about y'all."

Jordan beat out fellow nominees Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, and Jesse Plemons to take home the category.

And the Creed actor went on to recall how he desperately wanted to be a member of SAG, the actors' union, as a young artist.

"I remember watching all the other actors that I looked up to being a part of that club, being a part of SAG-AFTRA, being a part of this community. I was like, 'Man, I want to be (in) that one day.' Those guys on stage with the awards and nice suits... that's what I always wanted," the 39-year-old continued, adding: "That kid from North Jersey is standing here right now."

Elsewhere in the speech, Jordan gave a shout-out to Sinners director and his frequent collaborator, Ryan Coogler.

"I want to thank you, Ryan Coogler, for giving me the opportunity to show what I can do, and to be fearless and to create a safe space for us to find the truth," he smiled, before praising his co-stars. "Thank you for allowing me to do my best work. Just being in this room right now with all these people who have seen me grow up in front of the camera... I feel the love and support that you've always given me and encouraged me to do my best. Man, it's pretty cool."

The cast of Sinners, also including the likes of Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, and Hailee Steinfeld, also won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the prizegiving.