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Who is Paige Thalia? LA woman retrieves Oscars 2026 red carpet from dumpster, sparks debate on waste and sustainability
Paige Thalia, a Los Angeles content creator, found discarded Oscars red carpet in a dumpster. She reclaimed it for her apartment
Paige Thalia, a content creator based in Los Angeles, found rolls of the Oscars red carpet thrown away in a dumpster close to the Dolby Theatre. She picked up the carpet and has since placed it in her apartment, offering an unforeseen and eco-friendly solution to her requirement for a new rug.
Oscars red carpet in a dumpster
The Oscars red carpet serves as a prominent emblem of Hollywood glamour, and its surprising disposal in a dumpster has ignited discussions regarding waste and sustainability in the entertainment sector. Thalia's initiative underscores how even legendary materials can be revitalized through innovative repurposing.
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‘Disposable behind the scenes’, Thalia's shares Oscars 2026 red carpet story
In a TikTok post, the influencer chronicled her experience of finding the Oscars 2026 red carpet. This content also gained traction on X , eliciting responses from users who commented, “That contrast is wild—luxury one night, trash the next…The Academy Awards carpet is iconic, yet still disposable behind the scenes.”
Speaking to The NY Post, she said, “I was walking my dog a few nights ago by the Dolby while they were setting up for the Oscars. I just moved into a new apartment and was looking for a rug for a specific spot…but couldn’t find anything that wasn’t crazy expensive.”
In a video posted by Thalia on Monday, she visited the Dolby Theatre, the venue for the Oscars ceremony. She mentioned that security permitted her to ascend some green dumpsters to obtain a section of the carpet.
“When I first moved to LA in 2017 I went to an event at the Dolby the morning after the Oscars,” she stated. “They had a ripped up pile of red carpet and let me take a tiny piece!”
Several sizable rolls of carpet are visible in the video.
“If you want some red carpet, it’s at the dumpster on Hawthorne Avenue,” she remarked while carrying the carpet in her arms.
Later, she can be seen vacuuming the carpet that is now spread out on the floor of her home.
In a separate video shared on Tuesday, Thalia offered an update in which she encountered several men wielding boxcutters after verifying once more whether the carpet remained in place. According to her, they had relocated it behind the security gate and refused to allow anyone access to it.
“I’m sorry I brought attention to it before you guys could all get some,” she stated in the video.
Others appeared to corroborate Thalia's assertions regarding the red carpet being located in the dumpster. One person commented by sharing a photograph and mentioned that she was also able to obtain a piece of the carpet later on Monday, as per The Post.
Netizens react
Reacting to Thalia's carpet story, one X user wrote: “That could make so many throw rugs for animal shelters or for anyone who needs carpet and or throw rugs!!”
“Could they not auction off sections of the carpet and donate portions of proceeds to charity? Would make for better PR at least,” another commented.
“This is very typical for almost any expo or show…. The flooring is trashed and sent to be recycled (typically),” a third person said.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has not provided any comments regarding the discarded red carpet or the actions of Thalia. It is still uncertain whether the organization will take any measures to recover or address the disposal of this iconic material.
