Calls for boycott of Oscars grow over diversity of nominees
Spike Lee attended the Dec. 1 premiere of “Chi-Raq” at the Ziegfeld Theatre, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK » Calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards are growing over the Oscars’ second straight year of all-white acting nominees, as Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith each said today that they will not attend this year’s ceremony.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Lee said he “cannot support” the “lily white” Oscars. Noting that he was writing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lee — who in November was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards — said he was fed up: “Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all,” he wrote. “We can’t act?!”
In a video message on Facebook, Pinkett Smith also said she wouldn’t attend or watch the Oscars in February. Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith wasn’t nominated for his performance in the NFL head trauma drama “Concussion,” said it was time for people of color to disregard the Academy Awards.
“Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power,” she said. “And we are a dignified people and we are powerful.”
She added: “Let’s let the academy do them, with all grace and love. And let’s do us differently.” The video had amassed 4.5 million by mid-afternoon today.
Last year’s all-white acting nominees also drew calls for a boycott, though not from such prominent individuals as Lee and Pinkett Smith. Whether it had any impact or not, the audience for the broadcast, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, was down 16 percent from the year prior, a six-year low.
This year, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has made a point of presenting a more inclusive show. The Feb. 28 broadcast will be hosted by Chris Rock and produced by “Django Unchained” producer Reginald Hudlin and David Hill. On Saturday, Rock, unveiling a new promotion for the broadcast, called the ceremony “The White BET Awards.”
The academy didn’t respond to messages left today.
When Oscar nominations were announced Thursday, Isaacs acknowledged she was “disappointed” that all 20 acting nominees were again white. Isaacs has worked to diversify membership for the academy, which a 2012 study by the Los Angeles Times found is overwhelming white and male.
Many awards handicappers expected nominations for Idris Elba of “Beasts of No Nation” and Benicio Del Toro for “Sicario.” The N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton” also failed to earn a best picture nomination, despite some predictions it would. Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed Rocky sequel “Creed” scored only a nomination only for Sylvester Stallone. (Lee’s own movie, the Chicago gang violence hip-hop musical “Chi-Raq” — celebrated by some and scorned by others — also went unnoticed.)
The hashtag “OscarsSoWhite,” created last year, was quickly resurrected online following the nominations. Rev. Al Sharpton — who last year met with former Sony head Amy Pascal following leaked emails that some viewed as racist — on Friday lambasted the academy.
“Hollywood is like the Rocky Mountains, the higher up you get the whiter it gets and this year’s Academy Awards will be yet another Rocky Mountain Oscar,” said Sharpton.
In his post, Lee made it clear the Academy Awards is only part of the problem in an industry with deep-rooted diversity issues. In his Governors Awards speech, Lee said “It’s easier to be the president of the United States as a black person than be the head of a studio.”
“The Academy Awards is not where the ‘real’ battle is,” wrote Lee on Tuesday. “It’s in the executive office of the Hollywood studios and TV and cable networks. This is where the gate keepers decide what gets made and what gets jettisoned to ‘turnaround’ or scrap heap. This is what’s important. The gate keepers. Those with ‘the green light’ vote.”
16 responses to “Calls for boycott of Oscars grow over diversity of nominees”
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America loves to watch TV. They will never abandon the awards show.
Black lives matter too.
Black is beautiful.
Okay, let’s bring it to the Supreme Court and have the nominations on a quote basis. I am surprised HE hasn’t gone on TV and asked for a change.
The word is “quota”, but I am not surprised to see you missing the point since you have frequently been guilty of using racial slurs against African-Americans in this Forum.
I thought he was banned for his virulent racism and ignorance.
It’s kind of amazing that he hasn’t been. There have been many that have been booted for comments less racist than his. They have deleted his comments often, but for some reason they let him come back for more.
Racist imbecile. As always.
The “White BET awards”? That’s how they’re advertising it? Hard to believe the Academy would approve of such an ad. Ill-advised to say the least.
I’ll stop watching movies and read more books…..
Am not aware of any racial abnormality with this year Oscar nominee. Aren’t individual nominated for their talent and not the colors of their skin? For example the star for the movie, ‘The Revenant’ is base on a true story, was a white person hence the role played by one. In general there are great and talent performers and my preference are such. Rather they are black, white, yellow, brown or what have you , as far as I’m concern, is irrelevant !
There we go again… the real racist keeps bringing up the race card, It doesn’t go their way – bring up the race card.
What about sports? Maybe We should boycott some of the sports too? Too many blacks? Too many whites? NOT ENOUGH ASIANS?
What about the polynesians and the filipinos? Where’s the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Mongolians? PROTEST!! BOYCOTT all Sports!!
Where’s the asians in the MOVIES!!! BOYCOTT NO ASIANS!!
What a racist country we have become!! Does this sound stupid to anyone? STOP complaining and start making better movies, train better actors, start your own awards….
BBTS, bet many share your sentiments but haven’t the courage to say it! We of other colors just take things in stride and do the best to achieve life goals without resorting to figure pointing or blaming the world for obstacles placed in our paths in our lives! Gee whiz, the world isn’t all black and white!! We are of many colors and the sooner we except it racism should be thrown out the window!
Mindless rant. No one complained that there are “no blacks” — just that all of the nominees are white. Get it? “Not white” does not equal “black.” If there were Asians, Polynesians or Australian Aborigines anywhere in the program, the nominees wouldn’t be all white and Spike, et. al. wouldn’t be calling it such.
To answer your question: yes, you sound stupid.
Yes. Very.
Yes, as a matter of fact it does sound stupid. Not a surprise, given the rest of your comment.