Black-ish actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson poked fun at the Oscars after the award-giving failed to include a single black actor in the list of nominees.
Ross attended the Criticsâ Choice Awards on Sunday evening, and while doing her task as the nightâs presenter, she addressed the #OscarsSoWhite issue in a clever way.
In an attempt to encourage the nominees, Anderson pointed out that most actors who win a Criticsâ Choice Award are likely to win Oscars. Tracee Ellis Ross then remarked, âYes that’s true, so if you’re nominated tonight, give yourself a round of applause. You could go on to win an Oscar.â
#Blackish‘s Tracee Ellis Ross disses the âall-whiteâ Oscars at the #CriticsChoice Awards https://t.co/QtIoijSyKI pic.twitter.com/UjQBLLt6CD
â HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) January 18, 2016
Taking a jab at the Oscars all-white nominees, Anderson joked that only half of Ross could attend the awards night.
Realizing that the audience did not get what they were saying, Ross explained that she is mixed, âYes, you didn’t get that. I’m mixed.â
#OscarsSoWhite became a trending topic in Hollywood recently as a reaction to the Academyâs infamous lack of diversity. Other artists have also given their two cents on the issue. Jada Pinkett-Smith called on to people of color to boycott the Oscars, saying they should ârefrain from participating altogether.â
Gina Rodriguez lamented that the Academyâs board is ânot as diverse as reflected in today’s society.â
Gina Rodriguez, Tracee Ellis Ross, and more discuss the issue of diversity in 2016 Oscars https://t.co/itNe5SBj24 pic.twitter.com/H7ZwzuJlwN
â Yahoo Philippines (@YahooPH) January 18, 2016
Jada Pinkett Smith may boycott #Oscars over only white actors being nominated https://t.co/6hhSrylk67 pic.twitter.com/HpHPOsCYwC
â FOX 32 News (@fox32news) January 17, 2016
Ross reportedly stated that she âwasnât planning on going anywayâ but also made it clear that the ceremony does not apply to her, as she was not in any film this year.
However, not all black actresses agree with Tracee Ellis Ross. Niecy Nash believes that snubbing the 88th Academy Awards is not a smart solution and that everyone should just focus on moving forward. âWe have this awareness and this spotlight â we’ve got to look at other work. There’s other work out there that I think was missed. We’ve just got to do better,â Nash commented.