Editing Academy Awards (section)

== Criticism and controversies ==

=== Accusations of commercialism ===
Due to the positive exposure and prestige of the Academy Awards, many studios spend around 25 million dollars and hire publicists specifically to promote their films during what is typically called the "[[Oscar season]]".<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 10, 2024 |title=Comment l'équipe d'" Anatomie d'une chute " a mené sa campagne dans le marathon pour les Oscars |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/03/10/dans-le-marathon-pour-les-oscars-anatomie-d-une-chute-tente-de-se-frayer-un-couloir_6221137_3246.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=fr}}</ref> This has generated accusations of the Academy Awards being influenced more by marketing and [[lobbying]] than by quality. [[William Friedkin]], an Academy Award-winning film director and former producer of the ceremony, expressed this sentiment at a conference in New York in 2009, describing it as "the greatest promotion scheme that any industry ever devised for itself".<ref>{{cite AV media |url=http://fora.tv/2009/02/24/Director_William_Friedkin_at_the_Hudson_Union_Society#William_Friedkin_Says_Oscars_Simply_a_Promotion_Scheme |title=Director William Friedkin at the Hudson Union Society |date=February 24, 2009 |access-date=March 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310081013/http://fora.tv/2009/02/24/Director_William_Friedkin_at_the_Hudson_Union_Society#William_Friedkin_Says_Oscars_Simply_a_Promotion_Scheme |archive-date=March 10, 2009 |url-status=usurped |people=Friedkin, William (Director)}}</ref>

Tim Dirks, editor of [[American Movie Classics|AMC]]'s [[Filmsite]], has written of the Academy Awards:

{{blockquote|Unfortunately, the critical worth, artistic vision, cultural influence and innovative qualities of many films are not given the same voting weight. Especially since the 1980s, moneymaking "formula-made" blockbusters with glossy production values have often been crowd-pleasing titans (and Best Picture winners), but they haven't necessarily been great films with depth or critical acclaim by any measure.<ref>{{cite web |title=Academy Awards – The Oscars |url=http://www.filmsite.org/oscars.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120093333/http://www.filmsite.org/oscars.html |archive-date=January 20, 2014 |access-date=October 4, 2009}}</ref>}}

A recent technique that has been claimed to be used during the Oscar season is the [[whisper campaign]]. These campaigns are intended to spread negative perceptions of other films nominated and are believed to be perpetrated by those who were involved in creating the film. Examples of whisper campaigns include the allegations against ''[[Zero Dark Thirty]]'' suggesting that it justifies torture and the claim that ''[[Lincoln (film)|Lincoln]]'' distorts history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kilday |first=Gregg |date=December 20, 2012 |title=Oscar's Dirty Tricks: Inside the Whisper Campaign Machine (Analysis) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-dirty-tricks-inside-whisper-405693 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043347/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-dirty-tricks-inside-whisper-405693 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |access-date=March 2, 2019 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

=== Accusations of bias ===
{{further|Oscar bait}}

Typical criticism of the Academy Awards for Best Picture is that among the winners and nominees there is an over-representation of romantic historical epics, biographical dramas, romantic dramedies and family melodramas, most of which are released in the U.S. in the last three months of the calendar year. The Oscars have been infamously known for selecting specific genres of films to be awarded. The term "[[Oscar bait]]" was coined to describe such films. This has led, at times, to more specific criticisms that the Academy is disconnected from the audience, e.g., by favoring "Oscar bait" over audience favorites or favoring historical melodramas over critically acclaimed films that depict current life issues.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Kyle |title=Have the Oscars jumped the shark? |work=New York Post |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/have_the_oscars_jumped_the_shark_LLhBrvPY35EnSH0iQzrqRJ |access-date=January 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418115808/http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/have_the_oscars_jumped_the_shark_LLhBrvPY35EnSH0iQzrqRJ |archive-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref>

Despite the success of ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', the film did not receive a [[Best Picture]] nomination at the [[81st Academy Awards]]. This decision received substantial criticism and was described as a "snub" by many publications.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Child |first=Ben |date=January 28, 2009 |title=The week in geek: The Dark Knight's Oscars snub is a disgrace |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jan/28/oscars-sciencefictionandfantasy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204144754/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jan/28/oscars-sciencefictionandfantasy |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |access-date=December 1, 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Wallace |first=Lewis |title=Why So Serious? Oscars Snub Dark Knight for Top Awards |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/01/why-so-serious/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name="Sims">{{Cite web |last=Sims |first=David |date=July 18, 2018 |title='The Dark Knight' Changed Hollywood Movies Forever |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/07/the-dark-knight-legitimized-the-superhero-movie-for-better-and-worse/565448/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> The backlash to the decision was such that, for the [[82nd Academy Awards]] awards in 2010, the Academy increased the limit for Best Picture nominees from five to ten, a change known as "The Dark Knight Rule".<ref name="Sims"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tapley |first=Kristopher |date=July 17, 2018 |title=Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' Changed Movies, and the Oscars, Forever |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/in-contention/dark-knight-changed-movies-christopher-nolan-1202874041/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Brent |date=February 21, 2017 |title=How Much Has Changed Since Oscar Expanded Best Picture Nominations? |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/awards/oscar-best-picture-expansion-analysis-1201992206/ |access-date=December 1, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cieply |first1=Michael |date=July 17, 2013 |title=Motion Picture Academy Expands the Best-Picture Pool to 10 Nominees |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/movies/25oscars.html |access-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130717165526/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/movies/25oscars.html |archive-date=July 17, 2013}}</ref>

=== Lack of diversity ===
The Academy Awards have long received criticism over its lack of diversity among the nominees.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 15, 2016 |title=In Hollywood, diversity tends to ignore the disabled |url=https://latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-hollywood-diversity-disabled-20160610-snap-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426062804/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-hollywood-diversity-disabled-20160610-snap-story.html |archive-date=April 26, 2017 |access-date=April 25, 2017 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=February 24, 2017 |title=Oscars diversity debate must include learning disability |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/24/oscars-diversity-debate-must-include-learning-disability |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116212317/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/24/oscars-diversity-debate-must-include-learning-disability |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=April 25, 2017 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Oscars 2016: Lack of Diversity Has Historically Been a Problem |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/oscars-2016-lack-diversity-historically-problem/story?id=37062502 |url-status=live |access-date=April 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426150745/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/oscars-2016-lack-diversity-historically-problem/story?id=37062502 |archive-date=April 26, 2017}}</ref> This criticism is based on the statistics from every Academy Awards since 1929, which show that only 6.4% of Academy Award nominees have been non-white and since 1991, 11.2% of nominees have been non-white, with the rate of winners being even more polarizing.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Berman |first=Eliza |title=This Chart Proves the Oscars Have a Serious Diversity Problem |url=https://labs.time.com/story/oscars-diversity/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430194958/http://labs.time.com/story/oscars-diversity/ |archive-date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref> For a variety of reasons, including marketability and historical bans on interracial couples, a number of high-profile Oscars have been given to [[Examples of yellowface|yellowface]] portrayals, as well as performances of Asian characters rewritten for white characters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Casting White People in Asian Roles Goes Back Centuries |date=August 20, 2018 |url=https://www.history.com/news/yellowface-whitewashing-in-film-america |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119135943/https://www.history.com/news/yellowface-whitewashing-in-film-america |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |access-date=May 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Moreno |first=Carolina |date=February 24, 2017 |title=11 Times The Oscars Honored White Actors For Playing People Of Color |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/11-times-the-oscars-honored-white-actors-for-playing-people-of-color_n_58aefe72e4b0140601306fe8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116212314/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/11-times-the-oscars-honored-white-actors-for-playing-people-of-color_n_58aefe72e4b0140601306fe8 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=May 22, 2019 |website=HuffPost}}</ref> It took until 2023 for an Asian woman to win an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]], when [[Michelle Yeoh]] received the award for her performance in ''[[Everything Everywhere All at Once]]''. The [[88th Academy Awards|88th awards ceremony]] became the target of a boycott, popularized on social media with the [[hashtag]] #OscarsSoWhite, based on activists' perception that its all-white acting nominee list reflected bias.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vliet |first=Hannah |date=December 1, 2021 |title=White Saviors Get Gold Trophies: Colorblind Racism and Film Award Culture |url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/10.1386/fm_00182_1 |url-status=live |journal=Film Matters |language=en |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=140–151 |doi=10.1386/fm_00182_1 |issn=2042-1869 |s2cid=247260533 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323154250/https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/fm_00182_1 |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref> In response, the Academy initiated "historic" changes in membership by 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sims |first=David |date=January 19, 2016 |title=Can a Boycott Change the Oscars? |work=[[The Atlantic]] |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/can-a-boycott-change-the-oscars/424593/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226162236/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/can-a-boycott-change-the-oscars/424593/ |archive-date=February 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=January 23, 2016 |title=Academy Promises 'Historic' Changes to Diversify Membership |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/academy-promises-historic-changes-to-diversify-membership-20160123 |url-status=live |access-date=February 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226155628/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/academy-promises-historic-changes-to-diversify-membership-20160123 |archive-date=February 26, 2016}}</ref> Some media critics claim the Academy's efforts to address its purported racial, gender and national biases are merely distractions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lacina |first1=Bethany |last2=Hecker |first2=Ryan |date=May 16, 2021 |title=The Academy Awards Will Have New Diversity Rules to Qualify for an Oscar. But There's a Huge Loophole |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/23/academy-awards-will-have-new-diversity-rules-qualify-an-oscar-theres-huge-loophole/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523022558/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/23/academy-awards-will-have-new-diversity-rules-qualify-an-oscar-theres-huge-loophole/ |archive-date=May 23, 2022 |access-date=May 23, 2021 |magazine=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/oscars-best-picture-diversity.html |first=Kyle |last=Buchanan |title=The Oscars' New Diversity Rules Are Sweeping but Safe |magazine=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 16, 2021 |access-date=April 23, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910082228/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/movies/oscars-best-picture-diversity.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://remezcla.com/features/film/alfonso-cuaron-oscar-nomination-diversity/ |first=Jessica |last=Valent |title=Are 'Roma's Oscar Nominations a Win for Diversity or a Different Shade of Whiteness in Hollywood? |magazine=[[Remezcla]] |date=February 15, 2019 |access-date=June 23, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930100720/https://remezcla.com/features/film/alfonso-cuaron-oscar-nomination-diversity/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-et-st-oscars-mcnamara-notebook-white-hollywood-20160115-column.html |first=Mary |last=McNamara |title=Oscars 2016: It's time for Hollywood to stop defining great drama as white men battling adversity |magazine=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 15, 2016 |access-date=November 23, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005170402/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-et-st-oscars-mcnamara-notebook-white-hollywood-20160115-column.html}}</ref> By contrast, the [[Golden Globe Awards]] already have multiple winners of Asian descent in leading actress categories.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/michelle-yeoh-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-golden-globes-asian-winners/|title=Michelle Yeoh: Second Asian comedy/musical actress Golden Globe winner|last=Eng|first=Joyce|date=January 10, 2023|work=GoldDerby|access-date=January 11, 2023|archive-date=January 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111050648/https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/michelle-yeoh-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-golden-globes-asian-winners/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some question whether the Academy's definition of "merit" is just or empowering for non-Americans.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ejumpcut.org/currentissue/DaleHudson/index.html |first=Dale |last=Hudson |title=#OscarMustFall: On Refusing to Give Power to Unjust Definitions of "Merit" |magazine=[[Jump Cut (journal)|Jump Cut]] |year=2022 |access-date=September 27, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919195412/https://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/DaleHudson/index.html}}</ref>

The Academy's Representation and Inclusion Standards have been criticized for excluding [[Jews]] as a distinct underrepresented class.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perry |first=Kevin E G |date=January 10, 2024 |title=Jewish entertainers' group criticises Academy over diversity efforts |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jewish-entertainers-academy-diversity-criticism-b2476041.html |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

=== Miscategorization of actors ===
{{See also|Carol (film)#Oscar category}}

The Academy has no rules for how to categorize whether a performance is leading or supporting, and it is up to the discretion of the studios whether a given performance is submitted for either Best Actor/Actress or Best Supporting Actor/Actress. This has led to situations where a film has two or more co-leads, and one of these is submitted in a supporting category to avoid the two leads competing against each other, and to increase the film's chances of winning. This practice has been derisively called "category fraud".<ref name="liveabout_com">{{cite web |url=https://www.liveabout.com/difference-between-lead-and-supporting-actor-2428097 |title=How Lead and Supporting Actor Oscars Are Determined |access-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209195446/https://www.liveabout.com/difference-between-lead-and-supporting-actor-2428097 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="polygon_com">{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/22399802/oscars-category-controversy |title=The Oscars need to fix the Supporting Actor category |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=April 25, 2021 |access-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021002529/https://www.polygon.com/22399802/oscars-category-controversy |url-status=live}}</ref>

For example, [[Rooney Mara]] was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for ''[[Carol (film)|Carol]]'' (2015), despite her having a comparable amount of screentime to [[Cate Blanchett]], who was nominated for Best Actress. Another example is ''[[Once Upon a Time in Hollywood]]'' (2019), where [[Brad Pitt]] was nominated for and won Best Supporting Actor, even though he played an equally important role to Best Actor nominee [[Leonardo DiCaprio]]. In both these cases, critics argued that the studios behind the films had placed someone who was actually a leading actor or actress into the supporting categories to avoid them competing against their co-lead.<ref name="liveabout_com"/><ref name="polygon_com"/>

=== Symbolism or sentimentalization ===
Acting prizes in certain years have been criticized for not recognizing superior performances so much as being awarded for personal popularity,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://incontention.com/?p=1045 |title=What's the worst Best Actor choice of all time? |access-date=October 4, 2009 |archive-date=January 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100115115957/http://incontention.com/?p=1045 |url-status=live}}</ref> to make up for a "snub" for a work that proved in time to be more popular or renowned than the one awarded (a 'make-up Oscar'),<ref>{{cite web |last=Bramesco |first=Charles |date=March 13, 2023 |title=A brief history of the 'legacy Oscar' and its winners |url=https://lwlies.com/articles/legacy-oscar-winners-jamie-lee-curtis/ |access-date=March 8, 2025 |website=[[Little White Lies (magazine)|Little White Lies]] |language=en-US}}</ref> or as a "career honor" to recognize a distinguished nominee's entire body of work (a "[[legacy Oscar]]").<ref name="levy">{{cite book |last=Levy |first=Emanuel |title=All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards |publisher=[[Burns & Oates]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8264-1452-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Wenzel |first=Zac |date=April 3, 2023 |title=The Problem with Legacy Oscars |url=https://movieweb.com/the-problems-with-legacy-oscars/ |access-date=March 8, 2025 |website=[[MovieWeb]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Recognition of streaming media film ===
Following the [[91st Academy Awards]] in February 2019 in which the [[Netflix]]-broadcast film ''[[Roma (2018 film)|Roma]]'' had been nominated for ten awards including the Best Picture category, Steven Spielberg and other members of the Academy discussed changing the requirements through the Board of Governors for films as to exclude those from Netflix and other media streaming services. Spielberg had been concerned that Netflix as a film production and distribution studio could spend much more than for typical Oscar-winning films and have much wider and earlier distribution than for other Best Picture-nominated films, while still being able to meet the minimal theatrical-run status to qualify for an Oscar.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/02/steven-spielberg-vs-netflix-oscar-academy-wars-1202047846/ |title=The Spielberg vs. Netflix Battle Could Mean Collateral Damage for Indies at the Oscars |first=Anna |last=Thompson |date=February 28, 2019 |access-date=April 24, 2019 |work=[[IndieWire]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320081430/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/02/steven-spielberg-vs-netflix-oscar-academy-wars-1202047846/ |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[United States Department of Justice]], having heard of this potential rule change, wrote a letter to the Academy in March 2019, cautioning them that placing additional restrictions on films that originate from streaming media services without proper justification could raise anti-trust concerns against the Academy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2019/politics/news/doj-oscar-rules-changes-netflix-1203178413/ |title=Justice Department Warns Academy Over Potential Oscar Rule Changes Threatening Netflix |first=Ted |last=Johnson |date=April 2, 2019 |access-date=April 24, 2019 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423210652/https://variety.com/2019/politics/news/doj-oscar-rules-changes-netflix-1203178413/ |archive-date=April 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following its April 2019 board meeting, the Academy Board of Governors agreed to retain the current rules that allow for streaming media films to be eligible for Oscars as long as they have had limited theatrical runs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/24/entertainment/academy-streaming-oscars/index.html |title=Academy doesn't change streaming eligibility for Oscars |first=Lisa |last=Respers France |date=April 24, 2019 |access-date=April 24, 2019 |publisher=[[CNN]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424125530/https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/24/entertainment/academy-streaming-oscars/index.html |archive-date=April 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2022 Chris Rock and Will Smith slapping incident ===
{{Main|Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident}}

During the [[94th Academy Awards]] on March 27, 2022, [[Chris Rock]] joked about [[Jada Pinkett Smith]]'s shaved head<ref name="Alopecia">{{cite web |last=Bellamy |first=Claretta |date=January 7, 2022 |title=How Jada Pinkett Smith is uplifting Black women with alopecia |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/jada-pinkett-smith-uplifting-black-women-alopecia-rcna11273 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328034022/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/jada-pinkett-smith-uplifting-black-women-alopecia-rcna11273 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |publisher=[[NBC News]] |access-date=March 28, 2022}}</ref> with a ''[[G.I. Jane]]'' reference. [[Will Smith]] walked onstage and slapped Rock across the face, then returned to his seat and told Rock, twice, to "Keep my wife's name out [of] your fucking mouth!"<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Watch the uncensored moment Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, drops F-bomb |date=March 28, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myjEoDypUD8 |type=News |language=en |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=March 28, 2022 |via=YouTube |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329004149/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myjEoDypUD8 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |title=Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars after joke at wife Jada Pinkett Smith's expense |publisher=[[KABC-TV|ABC7]] |date=March 28, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d7VvQcWscY |type=News |language=en |access-date=March 28, 2022 |via=YouTube |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329034929/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d7VvQcWscY |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Respers |first1=Lisa France |last2=Elam |first2=Stephanie |date=March 27, 2022 |title=Will Smith appeared to strike Chris Rock on Oscars telecast |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328064453/https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/index.html |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |access-date=March 28, 2022 |publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> While later accepting the [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] award for ''[[King Richard (film)|King Richard]]'', Smith apologized to the Academy and the other nominees, but not to Rock.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gajewski |first=Ryan |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Will Smith Tearfully Apologizes to Academy After Chris Rock Oscars Slap |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-smith-oscar-best-actor-apology-slap-king-richard-1235119288/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051847/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-smith-oscar-best-actor-apology-slap-king-richard-1235119288/ |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |access-date=March 28, 2022 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Arkin |first=Daniel |date=March 27, 2022 |title=Will Smith appeared to hit Chris Rock at the Oscars over joke about Jada Pinkett Smith |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/will-smith-appears-hit-chris-rock-joke-wife-rcna21775 |access-date=March 28, 2022 |publisher=[[NBC News]] |language=en |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329075609/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/will-smith-appears-hit-chris-rock-joke-wife-rcna21775 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Whelan |first=Robbie |date=March 27, 2022 |title=Will Smith Takes to Oscar Stage, Appears to Strike Chris Rock After Joke About Jada Pinkett Smith |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/oscars-academy-awards-2022/card/will-smith-takes-to-oscar-stage-appears-to-strike-chris-rock-after-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smith-20Zr7QDygQqZ31fHDlCT |access-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329075610/https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/oscars-academy-awards-2022/card/will-smith-takes-to-oscar-stage-appears-to-strike-chris-rock-after-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smith-20Zr7QDygQqZ31fHDlCT |url-status=live}}</ref> Rock decided not to press charges against Smith.<ref>{{cite web |last=Yeo |first=Amanda |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Chris Rock won't press charges against Will Smith for that Oscars slap |url=https://mashable.com/article/chris-rock-will-smith-oscars-charges |access-date=March 28, 2022 |publisher=[[Mashable]] |language=en |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329075610/https://mashable.com/article/chris-rock-will-smith-oscars-charges |url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 8, 2022, the Academy made an announcement via a letter sent by president [[David Rubin (casting director)|David Rubin]] and CEO [[Dawn Hudson]] informing the public that Will Smith had received a ten-year ban from attending the Oscars as a result of the incident.<ref>{{cite web |last=Davis |first=Clayton |date=April 8, 2022 |title=Academy Bans Will Smith from Oscars for 10 Years |url=https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/oscars-will-smith-consequences-chris-rock-1235228010/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421212858/https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/oscars-will-smith-consequences-chris-rock-1235228010/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Refusals of the award ===
Some winners critical of the Academy Awards have boycotted the ceremonies and refused to accept their Oscars. The first to do so was screenwriter [[Dudley Nichols]] (Best Writing in 1935 for ''[[The Informer (1935 film)|The Informer]]''). Nichols boycotted the [[8th Academy Awards]] ceremony because of conflicts between the Academy and the Writers' Guild.<ref name="DYK">{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/oscars/oscars_didyouknow.jsp |title=The Oscars Did You Know? |access-date=June 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623000022/http://www.biography.com/oscars/oscars_didyouknow.jsp |archive-date=June 23, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nichols eventually accepted the 1935 award three years later, at the 1938 ceremony. Nichols was nominated for three further Academy Awards during his career.

[[George C. Scott]] became the second person to refuse his award (Best Actor in 1970 for ''[[Patton (film)|Patton]]'') at the [[43rd Academy Awards]] ceremony. Scott described it as a "meat parade", saying, "I don't want any part of it".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/obituaries/455563.stm |work=BBC News |title=George C Scott: The man who refused an Oscar |date=September 23, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311095900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/obituaries/455563.stm |archive-date=March 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904789,00.html |magazine=Time |title=Show Business: Meat Parade |date=March 8, 1971 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221203341/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C904789%2C00.html |archive-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/oscars/oscars_didyouknow.jsp |title=Fast Facts – Did You Know? |publisher=Biography.com |date=May 16, 1929 |access-date=February 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210075430/http://www.biography.com/oscars/oscars_didyouknow.jsp |archive-date=February 10, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The third person to refuse the award was [[Marlon Brando]], who refused his award (Best Actor for 1972's ''[[The Godfather]]''), citing the film industry's discrimination against and mistreatment of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]]. At the [[45th Academy Awards]] ceremony, Brando asked actress and [[civil rights activist]] [[Sacheen Littlefeather]] to read a 15-page speech in his place, detailing his criticisms, for which there was [[booing]] and [[cheering]] by the audience.<ref name="DYK"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Oscars |title=Marlon Brando's Oscar win for " The Godfather" |date=October 2, 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU |access-date=February 25, 2019 |via=YouTube |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217152537/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU |archive-date=February 17, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, Littlefeather was accused by her sisters of misrepresenting her ancestry as Native American.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Sacheen Littlefeather Lied About Native American Ancestry, Sisters Claim |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/sacheen-littlefeather-native-american-ancestry-1234616464/ |access-date=March 12, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023002533/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/sacheen-littlefeather-native-american-ancestry-1234616464/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Sacheen Littlefeather's sisters say her Native identity was fraudulent |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Sacheen-Littlefeather-oscar-Native-pretendian-17520648.php |access-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022111100/https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Sacheen-Littlefeather-oscar-Native-pretendian-17520648.php |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |last1=Keeler |first1=Jacqueline}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Travis |first1=Emlyn |date=October 22, 2022 |title=Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American activist who protested the Oscars, was a 'fraud,' sisters say |url=https://ew.com/movies/sacheen-littlefeather-native-american-oscars-protester-fraud-sisters-say/ |access-date=March 12, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en |archive-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114223534/https://ew.com/movies/sacheen-littlefeather-native-american-oscars-protester-fraud-sisters-say/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sacheen Littlefather's sisters say she was not Native American. The actress had disputed similar claims before. |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sacheen-littlefather-not-native-american-sisters-say-marlon-brando-oscar-speech-actress/ |first1=Caitlin |last1=O'Kane |access-date=March 12, 2023 |website=CBS News |date=October 24, 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025195840/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sacheen-littlefather-not-native-american-sisters-say-marlon-brando-oscar-speech-actress/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gilio-Whitaker |first=Dina |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Sacheen Littlefeather and ethnic fraud – why the truth is crucial, even it it[sic] means losing an American Indian hero |url=https://theconversation.com/sacheen-littlefeather-and-ethnic-fraud-why-the-truth-is-crucial-even-it-it-means-losing-an-american-indian-hero-193263 |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2023 |website=The Conversation |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312093928/http://theconversation.com/sacheen-littlefeather-and-ethnic-fraud-why-the-truth-is-crucial-even-it-it-means-losing-an-american-indian-hero-193263}}</ref>

=== Disqualifications ===
Seven films have had nominations revoked before the official award ceremony:<ref>{{cite news |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/73722/8-oscar-nominations-were-revoked |title=9 Oscar Nominations That Were Revoked |last=Obias |first=Rudie |publisher=Mental Floss |date=February 23, 2019 |access-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116212356/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73722/8-oscar-nominations-were-revoked |url-status=live}}</ref>

* ''[[The Circus (1928 film)|The Circus]]'' (1928) – The film was voluntarily removed by the Academy from competitive categories, to award [[Charlie Chaplin]] a special award.
* ''[[Hondo (film)|Hondo]]'' (1953) – Removed from the Best Story ballot after letters from the producer and nominee questioned its inclusion in the category.
* ''[[High Society (1955 film)|High Society]]'' (1955) – Withdrawn from screenwriting ballot after being mistaken for the [[High Society (1956 film)|1956 film]] of the same title.
* ''[[The Godfather]]'' (1972) – Initially nominated for eleven awards, its nomination for Best Original Score was revoked after it was discovered that its main theme was very similar to music that [[Nino Rota|the score's composer]] had written for an earlier film. None of its other nominations were revoked, and it received three Oscars, including Best Picture.
* ''[[A Place in the World (film)|A Place in the World]]'' (1992) – Removed from the Best Foreign Language Film ballot after it was discovered that the country which submitted the film exercised insufficient artistic control.
* ''[[Alone Yet Not Alone]]'' (2014) – The film's title song, "Alone Yet Not Alone", was removed from the Best Original Song ballot after [[Bruce Broughton]] was found to have improperly contacted other members of the Academy's musical branch; this was the first time that a film was removed from a ballot for ethical reasons.
* ''[[13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi]]'' (2017) – Sound mixer [[Greg P. Russell]]'s nomination was rescinded one day before the Awards when it was discovered he had improperly contacted voters by telephone. In this case, the nominations for the other three nominated sound mixers, [[Gary Summers]], [[Jeffrey J. Haboush]] and [[Mac Ruth]], were allowed to stand.

One film was disqualified after winning the award, and had the winner return the Oscar:
* ''[[Young Americans (1967 film)|Young Americans]]'' (1969) – Initially won the award for Best Documentary Feature, but was later revoked after it was revealed that it had opened theatrically prior to the eligibility period.

One film had its nomination revoked after the award ceremony when it had not won the Oscar:
* ''[[Tuba Atlantic]]'' (2011) – Its nomination for Best Live Action Short Film was revoked when it was discovered that the film had aired on television in 2010, before its theatrical release.

=== Remarks about animated films as children's genre ===
At the [[94th Academy Awards]] in 2022, the award for the Best Animated Feature was presented by three actresses who portrayed Disney princess characters in [[List of remakes and adaptations of Disney animated films|live-action remakes]] of their respective animated films: [[Lily James]] (''[[Cinderella (2015 American film)|Cinderella]]''), [[Naomi Scott]] (''[[Aladdin (2019 film)|Aladdin]]''), and [[Halle Bailey]] (''[[The Little Mermaid (2023 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''{{--)}}. While introducing the category, Bailey stated that animated films are "formative experiences as kids who watch them," as James put it, "So many kids watch these movies over and over, over and over again." Scott added: "I see some parents who know exactly what we're talking about."<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rmiq2PPQDg|title='Encanto' Wins Best Animated Feature Film &#124; 94th Oscars|date=April 28, 2022|publisher=Oscars|type=Award show|via=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509140640/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rmiq2PPQDg |archive-date=May 9, 2023}}</ref> The remarks were heavily criticized by [[animation]] enthusiasts and those working in the industry as infantilizing the medium and perpetuating the stigma that animated works are [[Children's film|strictly for children]], especially since the industry was credited with sustaining the flow of [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] content and revenue during the height of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. [[Phil Lord and Christopher Miller|Phil Lord]], co-producer of one of the nominated films, ''[[The Mitchells vs. the Machines]]'', tweeted that it was "super cool to position animation as something that kids watch and adults have to endure." The film's official social media accounts responded to the joke with an image reading: "Animation is cinema."<ref>{{cite web |last=Fuster |first=Jeremy |date=March 27, 2022 |title=Phil Lord and Hollywood's Animators Slam Oscars for 'Belittling' Animation Categories |url=https://www.thewrap.com/oscars-new-deal-for-animation/ |access-date=March 29, 2022 |work=[[TheWrap]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |number=1508481868479361026 |user=MitchellsMovie |title=*taps sign*}}</ref> A week later, Lord and his producing partner [[Phil Lord and Christopher Miller|Christopher Miller]] wrote a guest column in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' criticizing the Academy for the joke and how Hollywood has treated animation, writing that "no one set out to diminish animated films, but it's high time we set out to elevate them." They also suggested to the Academy that the category should be presented by a filmmaker who respects the art of animation as cinema.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lord |first1=Phil |last2=Miller |first2=Chris |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Phil Lord and Chris Miller: Hollywood Should Elevate, Not Diminish Animation (Guest Column) |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/phil-lord-christopher-miller-animation-oscars-1235225442/ |access-date=April 6, 2022 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Adding to the controversy was that the award for [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film|Best Animated Short Film]] (the nominees for which were mostly made up of shorts not aimed at children) was one of the [[94th Academy Awards#Effort to shorten the ceremony|eight categories]] that were not presented during the live broadcast.<ref name="Cartoon Brew">{{cite web |last=Amidi |first=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi |date=March 27, 2022 |title=During the Biggest Oscar Trainwreck in History, 'Encanto' and 'The Windshield Wiper' Won Oscars (Commentary) |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/during-the-biggest-oscar-trainwreck-in-history-encanto-and-the-windshield-wiper-won-oscars-commentary-214531.html |access-date=March 29, 2022 |publisher=[[Cartoon Brew]]}}</ref> The winner for the Best Animated Short award was ''[[The Windshield Wiper]]'', a multilingual Spanish-American film which is [[Adult animation|adult animated]], while another nominee in three categories: Best Animated Feature, [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film|Best Documentary Feature Film]], and [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best International Feature Film]], was ''[[Flee (film)|Flee]]'', a PG-13 rated animated documentary about an Afghan refugee. [[Alberto Mielgo]], director of ''The Windshield Wiper'', later gave an acceptance speech for the Oscar: "Animation is an art that includes every single art that you can imagine. Animation for adults is a fact. It's happening. Let's call it cinema. I'm very honored because this is just the beginning of what we can do with animation."<ref name="Cartoon Brew"/> Some speculations suggested that the speech played a role in the decision not to broadcast the award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Wake Up, Oscars: Animation isn't just for kids |url=https://mashable.com/article/animation-oscars-2022-joke-phil-lord |website=Mashable |language=en-US}}</ref>

Another factor is that numerous animated films have been made for mature audiences or with ranges of PG-13 or more, with a few of them—''[[The Triplets of Belleville]]'', ''[[Persepolis (film)|Persepolis]]'', ''[[Chico and Rita]]'', ''[[The Wind Rises]]'', ''[[Anomalisa]]'', ''[[My Life as a Courgette]]'', ''[[The Breadwinner (film)|The Breadwinner]]'', ''[[Loving Vincent]]'', ''[[Isle of Dogs (film)|Isle of Dogs]]'', ''[[I Lost My Body]]'', ''[[Flee (film)|Flee]]'', and ''[[Memoir of a Snail]]''—having been nominated in this category, with ''[[The Boy and the Heron]]'' being the first adult animated film (in this case, PG-13-rated) to win in the [[96th Academy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Belen |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Wake Up, Oscars: Animation isn't just for kids |url=https://mashable.com/article/animation-oscars-2022-joke-phil-lord |access-date=April 18, 2022 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amini |first=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi |date=March 10, 2024 |title='Boy and the Heron' is the First Hand-Drawn Animated Feature to Win Oscar in 21 Years |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/boy-and-the-heron-is-the-first-hand-drawn-animated-feature-to-win-oscar-in-21-years-238916.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 |website=Cartoon Brew}}</ref>

These comments came as ''#NewDeal4Animation'', a movement of animation workers demanding equal pay, treatment and recognition alongside their contemporaries working in live-action, was picking up momentum during negotiations for a new contract between [[The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839]]/[[SAG-AFTRA]] and the [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Robb |first=David |date=March 29, 2022 |title=Contract Talks Coming Down to the Wire for SAG-AFTRA & the Animation Guild |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/contract-talks-sag-aftra-animation-guild-1234990317/ |access-date=March 30, 2022 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> and the presentation is being used to rally the movement.

During the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, host [[Jimmy Kimmel]] said: "Please raise your hand if you let your kid fill out this part of the ballot." These remarks would again prompt backlash, with [[Phil Lord and Christopher Miller|Christopher Miller]], producer of that year's nominated ''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'', tweeting out that the joke was "tired and lazy".<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Christopher Miller on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/chrizmillr/status/1767061360142331933 |publisher=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> The PG-13-rated ''The Boy and the Heron'' would subsequently win the award.