Diversity talk dominates #OscarsSoWhite awards
LOS ANGELES — Chris Rock walked onto the stage of the 88th Academy Awards and fired the first shot of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. It came seconds after the opening film montage
"Man, I counted at least 15 black people on that montage," Rock said in his initial words as host, before adding, "Well, I'm here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People's Choice Awards."
9 most memorable moments at the Oscars
There was much speculation about how the Oscars would play out in light of the diversity controversy, following the absence of actors of color in the nominations for a second year in a row. The outrage boiled over with director Spike Lee and actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith announcing they would not attend the ceremony.
"Spike got mad. Jada went mad, Will went mad. Everyone went mad," said Rock, whose opening monologue was largely devoted to dealing with the controversy. Throughout the nearly four-hour broadcast, it continued.
The salvos actually started earlier Oscar Sunday. Al Sharpton led an #OscarsSoWhite protest down the street from the Dolby Theatre before the show started. Bette Midler tweeted: "The Oscars are today! You know, the awards show where Leonardo DiCaprio is 'overdue' but black people can 'wait till next year.' "
On the red carpet, actors and actresses handled tough diversity questions along with the traditional "Who are you wearing?" Sasha Baron Cohen was interviewed by the Oscar greeter and asked the hundreds of fans watching, "Have we got any African-Americans here? OK, we have three of them."
A string of diversity moments played out during the show. A montage of re-imagined 2015 popular films with black actors in the lead role featured Rock playing Matt Damon's Mars-stranded character in The Martian — only this time, Jeff Daniels and Kristen Wiig didn't want to bring the black astronaut back because it was too expensive.
Fox TV commentator Stacey Dash, who called the #OscarsSoWhite controversy "ludicrous" last month, made a head-scratching appearance onstage, wishing everyone a Happy Black History Month. This was followed by a "Black History Month Minute" segment hosted by Angela Bassett, which ended up being a joke tribute to Jack Black.
Everybody's confused by Stacey Dash's appearance at the Oscars
Rock showed off a filmed excursion to a theater in Los Angeles' predominantly black Compton neighborhood to ask patrons what they thought of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Rock asked one African-American theatergoer if it made him "smack-a-white-man mad."
Kevin Hart took the stage to introduce The Weeknd's performance of his nominated original song and took a moment to applaud actors of color who were overlooked for nominations.
"We are breaking major ground," Hart said. "These problems of today will eventually become the problems of the old. Let's not let this negative issue of diversity beat us."
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs addressed the audience and quoted Martin Luther King Jr.
"The measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort or convenience, but where he stands in moments of controversy," Boone Isaacs said. "I am confident that together we can shape the future of which all of us can be proud."
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu invoked the diversity controversy when accepting his best director award for The Revenant.
"What a great opportunity to our generation," Iñárritu said. "To make sure for once and forever that the color of the skin becomes as irrelevant as the length of our hair."
Rock had the final word on the matter, signing off with a final joke about Black Entertainment Television.
"I want to invite everyone here to the BET Awards this summer," said Rock, before adding, "Black lives matter."