Misty Copeland to join Miles Caton, Raphael Saadiq, Buddy Guy and more for Oscars ‘Sinners’ tribute
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After taking her final bow, Misty Copeland returns to prove that ballet is not dead with “Sinners” at the Oscars.
Misty Copeland is returning to the stage to help celebrate “Sinners,” and lowkey prove a pointe. Today, the Academy announced the performers for the upcoming Oscar Award ceremony.
“This year, our music performances are inspired by two of the most powerful cultural phenomena in film: ‘Sinners,’ the most nominated film in Oscars history, and ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ a global pop culture sensation,” said executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan. “They expand into cinematic tributes that celebrate the relationship between music and storytelling and why these films resonated so deeply with audiences around the world.”
To honor Coogler’s vampire horror film, “Sinners” star Miles Caton will perform the film’s Oscar-nominated track “I Lied To You,” with Raphael Saadiq. The performance will also feature Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey, and Alice Smith, who together will create “an homage to the film’s singular visual style.” But for those who have seen the movie, the announcement teases a recreation of that iconic musical scene in Coogler’s fictional 1932 Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Missing this would be a sin.
Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will take the stage to perform “I Lied to You” from SINNERS at the 98th Oscars, joined by Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush,… pic.twitter.com/wlntO34RJ1
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 10, 2026
Sinners done got Misty Copeland back on stage fresh off her retirement. Y’all don’t understand the performance we’re going to get on Sunday.
— SimplySimone (@simoneumba) March 10, 2026
The news comes shortly after Copeland opened up about undergoing hip surgery after her final performance at the American Ballet Theater (ABT) and her healing journey. While fans are excited to see the veteran ballerina take center stage again, the announcement of her inclusion feels especially timely this week, as lovers of the arts react to Timothée Chalamet’s saying that he wouldn’t want to work in ballet or opera and be tasked to “keep it alive.” The actor’s sparked so much discourse that even Copeland, the first Black woman promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, chimed in on the discourse.
“First, I have to say that it’s very interesting that he invited me to be a part of promoting ‘Marty Supreme’ with respect to my art form,” she shared while speaking on a panel. “But I think that it’s important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that’s not ‘popular’ and a part of pop culture as movies are. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have enduring relevance in culture. It’s often mistaken that when something is popular that it’s meaningful or more impactful.”
“There’s a reason that the opera and ballet have been around for over 400 years,” she continued. “I mean, he wouldn’t be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren’t for opera and ballet in their relevance in that medium. So all of these mediums have a space and we shouldn’t be comparing them.”
Pointe taken. On March 15, just as Ryan Coogler united generations of sound and spirit in Sinners, fans can expect the stars to do exactly the same on the Oscar stage.