Marsai Martin joins a new wave of young Hollywood at the Oscars as the 98th ceremony nears
marsai martin is set to attend the 98th Oscars as part of a newly announced group of 11 up-and-coming stars joining the Academy’s guest list for this year’s ceremony.
What happens when Marsai Martin and other rising stars hit the Oscars red carpet?
The Academy is welcoming a batch of emerging talent to the event, with the group expected to walk the red carpet and then join the year’s nominees inside the Dolby Theatre for the live telecast. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7 p. m. ET on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu, with Conan O’Brien hosting.
The 11 rising stars named for the Oscars attendance list are Anna Cathcart, Charithra Chandran, Auli’i Cravalho, Ryan Destiny, Barbie Ferreira, Mckenna Grace, Ariana Greenblatt, Milo Manheim, marsai martin, Chase Stokes, and Mason Thames. Their presence adds another layer of youthful star power to an evening already positioned as a showcase of both established names and the next generation of screen talent.
What if the Academy’s lineup signals a broader emphasis on ceremony-wide star power?
The newly announced attendance group lands alongside a previously publicized roster of presenters. That earlier list includes Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Kieran Culkin, and Zoe Saldaña, described as last year’s acting winners, as well as Nicole Kidman, Sigourney Weaver, Will Arnett, Javier Bardem, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Ewan McGregor, Chase Infiniti, Bill Pullman, and Lewis Pullman.
In addition, Oscars producers and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan confirmed in a Wednesday press conference that the cast of Bridesmaids—including Maya Rudolph and 2026 Best Actress nominee Rose Byrne—will reunite. They also said Marvel stars including Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Evans, and Channing Tatum will appear. Pedro Pascal, nominees Delroy Lindo and Wagner Moura, and previous Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel are also slated to appear, along with “an extraterrestrial, ” though no further details were provided.
What happens next as the 98th Oscars telecast approaches?
With the ceremony’s start time set for 7 p. m. ET, the focus now turns to how the mix of nominees, presenters, special appearances, and invited rising stars will shape the flow of the night inside the Dolby Theatre. The Academy’s decision to include marsai martin among the invited group underscores an emphasis on bringing additional recognizable faces to the event beyond the traditional presenter-and-nominee structure, while keeping attention on the evening’s live broadcast and in-the-room energy.
