Michael B. Jordan Just Crashed Into The Oscars Race At The Last Minute

Michael B. Jordan took home the SAG Award for Best Actor on Sunday night, making a last-minute entry into the increasingly turbulent Oscars race.

Despite being nominated at every major awards ceremony, including the Oscars, Jordan hadn't won any televized awards so far this season. The SAG Awards have finally cemented him as a true contender against frontrunner Timothée Chalamet.

Michael B. Jordan Has Finally Broken Into The Oscars Race

The Best Actor race had been one of the most predictable categories of this year's Oscar season until this weekend, with Chalamet dominating the televized awards and picking up both the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards. The only award he didn't win was the BAFTA, which went to Robert Aramayo—who isn't even nominated at the Oscars.

Just when it seemed like nobody could stop Chalamet's momentum, the SAG Awards decided to give an opportunity to Michael B. Jordan for his dual performances in Sinners. It's unclear whether this award carries enough weight to dethrone Chalamet as the frontrunner, but Sinners is proving to be a formidable beast that could definitely carry Jordan to victory.

Not only are Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo also competitive in their respective categories, but Sinners became the most-nominated film of all time at this year's Oscars with sixteen nods. It seems very plausable that Jordan's chances could be heightened by the overwhelming industry love for Sinners.

Oscar Voting Is Still Underway

Chalamet dominated the first half of this year's awards campaign, but Jordan has strong momentum in the second half—and that could be the deciding factor in his favor. The voting is currently underway, and Jordan's speech at the SAG Awards could have swung some votes his way.

Timing is everything when it comes to Oscar campaigns, and we've seen countless examples of actors dominating the field until February/March before ultimately losing to a late-stage threat. Last year, it was Adrien Brody whose momemtum surged in the final weeks of voting, ironically knocking Chalamet down again.

The SAG Award alone typically isn't enough to push somebody to an Academy Award victory, but it's all about the exposure and narrative-building. So far, Chalamet has been the only person getting on stage and making speeches, swinging the race in his favor. Now that voters have seen how much the industry is rallying around Michael B. Jordan, he will be fresh in their minds when it comes to submitting their ballot this week.