Stacy Dash of Fox News says she was shocked when she learned that there were no actors or actresses of color nominated for an Oscar this year, but says a boycott proposed by celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith is not the way to go.
On Wednesday, the 49-year-old Clueless actor made her opinion known in an interview with Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends.
“I think it’s ludicrous,” she said. “Because we have to make up our minds. Either we want segregation or integration.”
BET says Stacey Dash is "Clueless, indeed": https://t.co/Qc2mPLbLED pic.twitter.com/iswLOMHeRq
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) January 21, 2016
Dash said she is happy the lack of diversity is a topic of conversation, but believes that things won’t change until the “double standard” currently in place is eliminated.
“If we don’t want segregation, then we need to get rid of channels like BET, and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you’re only awarded if you’re black,” she explained. “If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It’s a double standard.”
Dash made the point that there is no White History Month, so why should there be a Black History Month?
“What I find astounding is that we’ve had a president who is black in office for the past eight years, who gets most of his funding from the liberal elite in Hollywood,” she added, referring to President Barack Obama. “Yet, there are not very many roles for people of color. How can that be? And why is it just now being addressed?”
BET did not take too kindly to Stacey Dash's plea to "get rid of channels like BET": https://t.co/cWJgeB0VXa pic.twitter.com/uHvkFLHaDE
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 21, 2016
Dash agreed that Jada Pinkett Smith might have cause to be upset considering her husband, Will Smith, wasn’t nominated for his role in Concussion.
“He did a great job in the movie, but at the same time, what does that say about how people are selected for these awards?” Doocy asked Dash.
“Right. That’s assuming they’re selected by race, which I think would be a disservice to the people who are looking at the films and making the choices,” she said. “Maybe [the Academy] need[s] to be more, you know, integrated, and there needs to be more diverse people in the process of electing.”
.@REALStaceyDash's solution to #OscarsSoWhite: Get Rid of BET and Black History Month: https://t.co/5QM8ZzX1ha pic.twitter.com/KvzI1E2AHK
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 21, 2016
Doocy claimed that, although the Academy demographics are kept secret, they are “predominately white males.”
“I hope they’re looking for the best movies and the best actors,” Dash noted. “The good news is, there’s attention brought to it now. But, like I said, over the past eight years, we’ve had a president who’s black, who gets his funding mainly from Hollywood. ‘The elite liberals.’ So, it’s odd to me that this has now become such an issue.”
