The Oscars red carpet was in full swing. Then a woman took her home to her apartment. What other things can be repurposed? | Oscars 2026

TThe Oscars are over, and the world has moved on. We no longer debate the merits of any particular film, or the validity of any particular win. Now there are only two groups of people who care about the Oscars; The winners’ agents, who are all busy renegotiating their clients’ contracts, and Los Angeles-based amateur rug maker Big Thalia.

Thalia found a small amount of viral fame this week, after she discovered the Oscars red carpet was being laid out the morning after the ceremony, and decided to outfit her home with it.

The story goes that before the Oscars, while out for a walk, Thalia noticed rolls and rolls of the original red carpet still covered in plastic wrap. That left her wondering what happens to the carpet after the awards ceremony, which in turn led to her being sent on a mission around the back of the Dolby Theater on Monday morning. While filming herself for TikTok, Thalia stumbled upon a giant (and clean) jump filled with dozens of rolled-up pieces of carpet. “This is huge. Is it crazy to take a huge piece?” she asked her viewers. In short, she now has a huge piece of the Oscars red carpet in her living room.

There is a lot to take from this. First, I can’t be the only person alive who assumed that the Oscars red carpet wasn’t meant for disposable use. After all, this is not just a thin strip of carpet leading into the hall; The entire entrance to the Dolby Theater is covered in stuff. It extends from wall to wall and continues for miles. The estimate is that there is 50,000 square feet of stuff. While much of it is recycled, some are clearly disposed of after only a few short hours. The growling is enough to make you feel nauseous. It would certainly be better financially and environmentally if they bought a more durable rug and reused it multiple times.

Well, since Thalia revealed what’s happening to the carpet, maybe they’ll do just that. Because it’s almost certain now that at 4 a.m. the morning after the 2027 Oscars, a small army of skinny-dipping TikTokers will descend on the Dolby Theater to grab some carpet for themselves. Security may find itself burdensome. People may break into fist fights to grab the last bit. It can be messy.

The carpet is just the tip of the iceberg. While the Academy has tried to improve its sustainability over the years – there are no single-use plastic bottles and the flowers are composted – each year’s ceremony is custom-designed and built, so you can assume it still generates a lot of waste. Perhaps there will be a time for this year’s recyclers to escape the false mountain that Conan O’Brien has climbed to declare himself superior to all his peers? What about his fake eagle Cicero? Was that a disposable eagle? Can an enterprising TikToker decorate his home with pieces of raptor remains?

Fortunately, at least the academy is dealing with food waste sensibly, and promises to donate any surplus to chefs to end hunger. Again, this is a step in the right direction, although you have to wonder how hungry people in Los Angeles would feel about the state of late capitalist wealth distribution if they were asked to feed their families with handfuls of mini Oscars sprinkled with 24-karat liquid gold.

Hopefully, all the coverage given to Thalia will set the academy up to use more sustainable carpet practices next year. Plenty of other award shows already do this. The Golden Globes are committed to reusing their red carpets, while the BAFTAs are using recycled carpets for their ceremonies. This might make TikTok appear less mainstream, but the Oscars could certainly commit to something along those lines next year.

The most pressing issue is whether or not Thalia’s new furniture will hold up. In her TikToks, she made reference to the fact that the red carpet doesn’t seem to be designed to be used much at all, and she’s already started trying to find ways to keep it from becoming worn out. Perhaps this, above all, is what will push the academy to change. After all, the Oscars are meant to represent the pinnacle of prestige. Nothing would hurt her reputation more than a woman documenting how quickly a red carpet can turn into a rag.