Oscars producers have promised that they “want everybody to feel safe and protected” at the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday amid reports of an FBI alert about Iran‘s plan to attack California with drones.
During a press conference on Wednesday, days before Hollywood’s biggest night at the Dolby Theatre, Oscars telecast executive producers Katy Mullan and Raj Kapoor said the ceremony will have increased security.
“We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD, and it’s a close collaboration,” Kapoor said. “This show has to run like clockwork. But we want everybody that is coming to this show, that is witnessing the show, that is even a fan of the show when they’re standing outside the barricades, we want everybody to feel safe and protected and welcome, so it’s our job as a producing team to make sure that that translates.”
When contacted by The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shared in part in a statement, “In light of current global events, the Department remains at an elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance as we continue to protect our residents of Los Angeles County. We are working closely with our federal and local law enforcement partners to share intelligence and monitor the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and assess any potential impacts in our communities. The safety of the public remains our highest priority. As part of our preparedness efforts, we remain attentive to all potential threats, including lone-actor attacks, sleeper cells, and advanced technological or cyber-related threats.”
THR also reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
While security will be increased at the Oscars again this year, security at the celebrity-filled awards show has always been robust in the past as well.
The producers didn’t comment on the alleged FBI alert directly, but their comments came shortly after reports that the federal agency had warned California law enforcement in recent days about the possibility of a retaliatory drone attack by Iran.
“We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert read, which was distributed at the end of February, according to ABC News. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared on X that he is also monitoring any potential threats to the Golden State.
“I am in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials, including at @Cal_OES, to monitor potential threats to California — including those tied to the conflict in the Middle East,” he wrote. “While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state.”
Since the conflict between the U.S. and Iran started at the end of February — the military strikes were coordinated by the Trump administration and Israel, targeting Iranian military infrastructure, nuclear facilities and leadership — there have been ongoing concerns that Iran could seek to retaliate on American soil as tension in the Middle East continued to rise.
Beatrice Verhoeven contributed to this story.
