“You’re the ones who didn’t vote for her”: Jimmy Kimmel Accuses The Academy for Greta Gerwig’s Oscar Snub as Barbie Wins Only 1 Category
After a year of immense rivalries, breathtaking movies, and enchanting performances, the film industry is embracing the awards season as the most deserving performers and crew take home precious accolades. The Oscars ceremony was held last night and capped off the season by bestowing the highest honors in the industry. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the fourth time, the ceremony was a huge success with hearty performances and memorable acceptance speeches.
Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Crucial Oscar Snubs
Known for hosting and producing his eponymous show, Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the Oscars ceremony last night with some jokes and quips. He brings a certain witty quality to his monologues, gripping the audience from the beginning. The host usually covers all nominees, categories, and performances to give an overview of what to expect from the ceremony. He started his monologue with the biggest Oscar snub of this year, excluding Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie from the nominations in their respective categories for Barbie. Kimmel said,
“‘Barbie’ was a monster hit. What an achievement to take a plastic doll nobody even liked anymore. Before this movie, you had a better chance of getting my wife to buy our daughter a pack of Marlboro Reds than a Barbie doll. Now, Barbie is a feminist icon thanks to Greta Gerwig, who many believed deserved to be nominated for Best Director. I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her, by the way. Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this.”
We all saw this coming as the biggest talk of the year has been the Barbenheimer phenomenon that took the box office to newer heights in 2023. The two movies were very different in their genres and narratives. But, the fact that they were released on the same day divided the audience into two factions. Like a new controversy every year, this year the backlash was over Gerwig and Robbie’s absence in the nominations for Best Director and Best Actress respectively. While Oppenheimer snagged 7 awards in various categories, Barbie only won 1 Oscar for Best Song.
How Do Oscar Nominations Work?
The reason Kimmel accuses the audience of not nominating Gerwig and Robbie is that Oscar nominations and winners are decided through an intricate process of voting. Every year, the Academy appears under the spotlight due to a lack of adequate representation or because it doesn’t nominate a performer who did exceptionally well. However, the initial nominations take place via members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Across 17 branches and fields, the members nominate their peers for the awards.
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Kimmel pointed fingers at the audience at the Academy Awards because the voting did not qualify Gerwig and Robbie as nominations in the deserved categories. While the voting process ensures some accountability on the industry’s part to nominate the greatest performers, it also calls for more diversity in representations.
Currently, the Academy has more than 10,000 members, who are attached to the industry in some capacity. The fact that Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor angered the audience as it reflects how patriarchy still reigns supreme. Barbie is the brainchild of Gerwig with Robbie bringing the vision to life. Without their efforts, there would have been no movie, let alone the unparalleled success that it received.
