The Most Vocal Celebrity Reactions To The #OscarsSoWhite Controversy

In case you haven’t heard, the Oscar nominations are out, and while many of the nominees are no surprise, what has caused an uproar is the complete lack of non-white actors getting recognized for acting awards. Performances like the ensemble cast of Straight Outta Compton were shut out in favor of another possibly futile nod to Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hollywood is not happy.

Because of her husband’s snub for Concussion, Jada Pinkett-Smith even went so far as to call for a boycott of the Oscars.

Will Smith’s Fresh Prince co-star, Janet Hubert, responded to the tweets and Smith’s performance, saying that he didn’t deserve the nomination in the first place.

Pinkett-Smith doesn’t stand alone, though. Spike Lee has said he won’t be attending, and David Oyelowo called the Academy’s lack of diversity “a problem that needs to be solved.” Compton producer Will Packer wrote a powerful letter to the Oscars about the issue. George Clooney told Variety that the Academy is moving in the wrong direction in terms of recognizing more diverse actors. Others kept it lighter, including Oscars host Chris Rock.

https://twitter.com/IamDonCheadle/status/688778401151234048

The Oscars also issued a response to the outrage. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs pledged to increase the amount of diversity in the awards and promises to take steps in fixing it.

At the very least, we can be happy that the conversation is evolving and that the Academy is taking notice of their mistakes.