The 2016 Oscar nominations made headlines Thursday morning for their major dearth of diversity, with many outlets calling out the Academy for a nearly all-Caucasian nominee list.
The New York Times went with "Oscars 2016: It’s a nearly all-white nominees’ list – again," and Entertainment Weekly’s headline read "This is the whitest Oscars since last year," – and that’s only a sampling of what many media outlets expressed.
The redundant failure to celebrate diverse actors in film over the past year did not go unnoticed on social media, either. "#OscarsSoWhite, that damning hashtag that made the rounds last year, can again, unhappily, be revived for this year’s Oscar nominations," the Times noted.
Shorter Academy: "Huh? Diversity? We don't see color!" #OscarsSoWhite
— Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie) January 14, 2016
For the second year in a row, all 20 acting nominees are white. No #OscarNoms for Will Smith or Idris Elba. #OscarsSoWhite 2.0, some say.
— Joe Fryer (@joefryer) January 14, 2016
Second year in a row without a single non-white actor nominated. #OscarsSoWhite
— Jeff Chu (@jeffchu) January 14, 2016
While the Academy’s president vowed to increase diversity efforts, hits such as Straight Outta Compton and Creed were not only passed over in major categories, but the nominations they did receive also went to white people.
Straight Outta Compton pulled in $200 million globally in theaters, making it the biggest music biopic ever. Creed earned $100 million as of the start of the year.
And not only were the leading men and breakout actors and directors of Straight Outta Compton snubbed Thursday morning, so was Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation and Will Smith for his role in Concussion.
#OscarsSoWhite: Year two.
— Glenn Whipp (@GlennWhipp) January 14, 2016