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VANITY SCARE

These Photos Show Just How Bad Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party Looked

We compared photos of the same celebrities taken hours apart. Yikes.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedMar 19, 2026, 5:22 PM EDT

UpdatedMar 19, 2026, 5:29 PM EDT

Updated Mar 19, 2026, 5:29 PM EDTPublished Mar 19, 2026, 5:22 PM EDT

Stars were left horrified by their unflattering portraits from Vanity Fair’s ultra-exclusive Oscar afterparty.

The harsh, pore-amplifying images were even more shocking when viewed next to shots of the same celebs at other locations throughout the evening.

“It was so crazy-bright there, I felt like I was standing under klieg lights,” one anonymous partygoer told The Hollywood Reporter. Another complained that the now-infamous event’s lights were so hot, it felt like getting “hot flashes.”

SEE EVERY WRINKLE

A-List Stars Flip Out at Unflattering Party Photos

Roosa Rahkonen

This year marked editor Mark Guiducci’s first time leading the Condé Nast–owned magazine’s annual event. Legendary for its flattering portraits, it is usually one of the year’s most glamorous and exclusive afterparties.

A-listers staggered across a shaggy rug, squinting as they posed for photographers, their famous faces illuminated by bright white lights that would feel more at home in a hospital waiting room than on a red—sorry, gray carpet.

We reviewed photos of several guests at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, comparing them to same-day images from other locations, including their hotel rooms prior to the event, the actual Academy Awards red carpet, and the star-studded Elton John AIDS Foundation’s annual Academy Awards Viewing Party.

The side-by-side snaps prove that bad lighting and poor planning can make anyone look heinous—even the world’s most beautiful people.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Guiducci’s attempt to restore Vanity Fair’s fête to its former glory led to several last-minute updates, including a major location swap, which caused the crew to forget to bring a dimmer. As a result, celebrities appeared considerably less golden, glowing, and glam at the Vanity Fair party than they looked elsewhere.

Case in point: Kate Hudson, 46, who glimmered at the Academy Awards with beautiful pink cheeks and a tan that accentuated her bright blue eyes.

Hours later, the actress, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Song Sung Blue, arrived at the Vanity Fair party.

SEE EVERY WRINKLE

A-List Stars Flip Out at Unflattering Party Photos

Roosa Rahkonen

Under the lights, which one partygoer described as “unforgiving” to The Hollywood Reporter, the A-lister’s golden complexion appeared pale, and the blush gone from her cheeks.

Even Demi Moore, 63, often considered one of the world’s most beautiful women, was not safe from the dentist’s office lighting. Side-by-side shots of the otherwise stunning star prove that a poorly planned photography setup spares no one.

Rose Byrne, 46, who received a Best Actress nomination for her role in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, made a small beauty update between the events, switching her vibrant red lip to a nude one.

Her Vanity Fair Oscar Party portrait reflected a broader shift, well beyond a simple change in lip color. Rather than a beautiful photo, Byrne’s shots resembled school portraits, completely washing out any warmth in her skin and hair.

Many A-listers spent hundreds of dollars on their hair and makeup for one of Hollywood’s biggest nights.

Professional model Heidi Klum, 52, updated her hair to a trendy side part and her makeup to a dark smoky eye for the afterparty.

Reality star Kris Jenner, 70, who debuted her second facelift in 2025, posted a photo of her makeup on Instagram ahead of the Vanity Fair afterparty. Jenner has repeatedly faced online criticism over the discrepancy between the photos she posts online and her professional photos.

While she did not walk the Academy Awards red carpet, she snapped a selfie that looks starkly different from her VF portrait.

Ethan Hawke, 55, was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Blue Moon.

He posed on the red carpet at the 98th Academy Awards and, shortly after, at the Vanity Fair Oscars party, his appearance looked strikingly different.

aiming too high

Kim Kardashian Takes a Painful Tumble in Huge High Heels

Roosa Rahkonen

Elle Fanning, 27, was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value.

Dressed in a custom white Givenchy ball gown, the actress looked like an ethereal princess during the ceremony, but the harsh bulbs of the Vanity Fair carpet did her no justice.

Chase Infiniti, 25, starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the Best Picture-winning thriller One Battle After Another. The breakout actress looked fresh-faced and rosy earlier in the evening, but washed out under the afterparty’s strange setup.

Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace, 70, looked drastically different as she socialized at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Academy Awards Viewing Party in comparison to her paler appearance on VF’s shag carpet.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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