Wouldn't bother me... does the wife have anything to do with the personal, amazing, acting abilities(other than the rare ocasion that they have worked with them on the movie they are being awarded for)? Wives are just there to share their life with their husband (or wife), they shouldn't be hurt if their other has like a minute to do a speech, and is like Sean Penn and is outspoken about his beliefs/organizations/rights- it was more important for him to get out what he wanted to rather than say "thank you ::insert name here".. so over done, we know he thanks her- if he didn't they would be divorced.

i would be hurt. but i thought sean penn and robin wright-penn got divorced semi-recently. ???

I don't know if "hurt" is the right word, but I think wives/husbands are pretty significant in an actor's life (I mean hell, they do put up with all the crazy movie schedules, and are someone you vent to if the director is driving them crazy. Just like any other married couple.

I think I'd only be "hurt" is if my man thanked the coffee guy and not mentioned me.

xtinabeena - they got back together right after they broke up

Well I think it's fabulous that Milk got recognition last night and thought it fitting that he mentioned prop 8, but he could have done it in a positive way instead of making it so negative. I'd have much rather heard him thank his wife than tell people their grandchildren were going to be ashamed of them one day based on their political views...but that's Hollywood. Sigh.

Unless shes his acting coach why should she be mentioned?

So boring that someone was so into celebrities they noticed his wife's name missing.. get a life you loser!

I mean seriously.. i hate dearsugar its become so stupid. When will any of us be in his situation!? Im an actor but im not delusional none of us who use this site are probably oscar nominees!

I might be vaguely annoyed for about five minutes. That's it.

the FIRST person he mentioned was "my best friend". to me, I assumed that was her. but people forget to mention their spouses/families all the time, i.e Hilary Swank & Chad Lowe. so what?

I could do without the thank-yous. Half the time I don’t know who the person is (not in the case of Robin Wright Penn, but when it’s an agent or whoever). I would much prefer to hear the winner’s thoughts on the project. In my head, when I give my imaginary Oscar speech, that’s what I talk about.

One of my favorite speeches last night was the woman who won documentary short subject – she told a bit about how she found her documentary subject, and that was so much more interesting than reading off a list of names.

pippins same here.

Nah, it's no big deal. People forget sometimes.

I would probably be bummed for like, 5 minutes. Anyways, he's up there trying to remember all of the people that he *has* to thank who could be offended in a professional way, like his managers or producers or whatever--I think those would be stressful to try and remember because if you offend one of them they could get in the way of your getting work!

well imagine if you win, when one goes up there imagine how nervous they must get. it's a special moment and one might forget to mention somebody and there is a lot the person want to say in less than a minute. i might be hurt but i would understand.

I don't think he "forgot"... she was sitting RIGHT in front of him. As I watched it, and noticed he didn't mention her at all, I thought it was an intentional snub... like they are on the verge of divorce again, and it was easier to show up with her than without her, so the gossip mills wouldn't run with it. They were not affectionate (that I saw anyway) all evening.

And yes, I would be PISSED if my significant other neglected to thank me. My BF and I even talked about it last night! He turned to me and said, "You'd be the first person I'd thank". (He scores movies, so, hey, maybe one day I will be there!)

I didn't even think they were still together. I thought it was interesting that when he won he didn't even look at her- just got up to go onstage. She pulled him back and kissed him. He may be a great actor, but I don't think he has a reputation for being the best husband in the world.

How do we know that some Hollywood couples don't agree not to thank each other so they can have time to thank the people actually directly associated with the movie (and, in this case, make a political statement).

Why wouldn't you first thank the people who are there for you at the end of the day no matter what? What excuse is there.

"Thanks to my wife/husband, who as supported me through all of this (unless they didn't and were against it). Simple sentence. I guess he didn't want sex that night. XD

I am confused with the people who would actually be pissed. Why? Did she have anything to do with the movie? No, so that's his old lady, so what? Jus so you can say you got your name mentioned on TV?

Many people deal with S/O schedules, they don't go in and announce into the intercoms after their shift "Thanks to my wife/husband who I'm about to go see...Big Ups!"

I noticed her forgot her, and I also noticed he didn't kiss her or even look at her when he won, she had to grab him and try to kiss him, it was so awkward.

update: she knew he wasn't going to mention her:

http://www.accesshollywood.com/sean-penn-explains-leaving-wife-out-of-os...

I would understand if they were coming with a list off the top of their head. But I am not surprised Sean Penn did this he is a very egotistical man who only cares about himself.

None of us have any idea what it feels like to be up there; what happens to the brain when you're suddenly walking up to collect an Oscar. It seems to be fairly common to forget to thank people, so I wouldn't be harsh, and I don't think it would bother me more than momentarily.

Thank you, "name, name, name, name, name, name" speeches (if they even can be called speeches) are boring. And, some of those name lists are so long it becomes a snooze-fest. I can also see the experience being so overwhelming for an actor that they'd accidentally leave someone important out because their mind is already thanking them before it formulates into words.

He didn't forget her. In a later interview, they asked him about it and he and his wife said they has talked about it and decided that there wasn't enough time.

In showbiz, the spouse of a working actor can get the brunt of stress - whether it's dealing with them being gone on location constantly, or the rabid fans (especially of the "sex symbols"), or being their support system when their egos crash-land. For that reason, they should be mentioned in acceptance speeches. In this particular situation, I was more bothered by the fact that she had to grab him and pull him in for a congratulatory kiss.

I would never be anger if somebody forgot to thank me and he is still a human being we forget sometime. So, he is forgiven.

He didn't forget her. In a later interview, they asked him about it and he and his wife said they has talked about it and decided that there wasn't enough time.

Exactly! They said it on Access Hollywood.

Wow, I would be so upset.

A wife has everything to do with his nomination and win, if they really love each other. She is the one he talks to about the role, what happened that day on set, etc. A marriage is like a team, when something great happens for one person, it happens for the other. Not thanking your wife in one of the most important acceptance speeches of your life is a complete disgrace.

Why would he PLAN on not mentioning his wife? He mentioned his best friend and his support circle, yet "didn't have enough time to mention his wife."

For me, this would be a sign that the love has run out and I should get out of the marriage. Sorry if anyone thinks I'm over reacting but that is my opinion.

If, however, he didn't make a list before hand like SLB said, I would be able to forgive.

I say, BOO TO YOU SEAN PENN!

Not enough time? How long does it take to say "Thank you, Robin"?

i dont think its that big of a deal.....they BOTH said in an interview afterwards that he wanted to use the time to talk about gay rights. It was obvious that she was ok with it, so i dont know why we are even talking about it.

Dump him!

Somebody had to take that position.

I'd say "Oi! What about me?" after he finished getting whatever it was, and if he thanked me then then it would all be good. But if I got nothing whatsoever I maybe a wee bit peeved but it wouldn't be a huge deal.

NO WAY! it's about him, not me. why would i care if he mentioned me? i'm not that full of myself.

I saw that she asked him not to thank her so he would have time to talk about Proposition 8 and gay rights, which raised my opinion of her (not that it was low or anything) considerably. I think there is much more to their relationship than the public knows, regarding their frequent break-ups and make-ups. It obviously works for them, because they've stuck by one another for a long time. Sometimes I think they're more friends who just wanted to have kids together or something.

i agree, it doesnt take forever to say thanks you robin/my wife/my love etc.. i would be kinda annoyed, esp since it waas the oscars, and if he won best actor and all...

Penn was too busy shaming people to thank his wife, but I understand it happens.

He came on Oprah the next day and said he wanted to keep his thank yous professional. He said if he mentioned Robin, he would have had to mention his mom, son, daughter, etc. He said something along the lines of ..it goes without saying that Robin is his best friend.

of course!

definitely.

It depends on whether or not there was an understanding about it beforehand, like this one apparently. If we didn't have an understanding about it, then yes, I'd be hurt. But I can see why people leave their S/Os out of speeches; those awards are more about work life than personal life. So as long as there's an understanding about that...