Oscar Nominations are So White, Even the 'Straight Outta Compton' Nominees are White

It looks like people’s #OscarsSoWhite fears were realized today, January 14, as the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees presented us with a notably White list. 

“Straight Outta Compton” is trending on Twitter, with some wondering why the record-setting film was snubbed except for its two White screenwriters, Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, who were nominated for their original screenplay:

“But what about ‘Straight Outta Compton’ for Best Screenplay?” Two white folks wrote it. #OscarsSoWhite

— Charles Pulliam (@CharlesPulliam) January 14, 2016

Both writers of Straight Outta Compton (the only nom it got) are white. #OscarStillSoWhite

— HT (@Tickelace) January 14, 2016

If this was the Academy’s way of addressing controversy around the film’s omission of violence against women, then they still didn’t make up for it by nominating any Black actors, actresses or directors. Even “Creed” and its Black director and Black lead actor got snubbed, with the only nomination going to Golden Globe winner Sylvester Stallone (who is, to be clear, also White). 

The Academy’s omission of excellent performances from Black thespians aside (and we didn’t even talk about Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hateful Eight,” or Zoe Kravitz in “Mad Max: Fury Road”) there were a few notable nominees of color. Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu was recognized for his direction of “The Revenant,” which leads the pack with 12 nominations (including Best Picture). Additionally, Netflix’s Nina Simone doc “What Happened, Miss Simone?” was recognized in the Documentary Feature category. Canadian sensation The Weeknd also received a nomination for the “50 Shades of Grey” soundtrack hit “Earned It” in the Original Song category. For Best Animated Short, an often-overlooked category, Sanjay Patel and Pixar’s acclaimed “Sanjay’s Super Team” received a nomination.

We can only hope that with host Chris Rock leading the way, audiences can expect just enough biting humor to make people wonder why, and to whom, the Oscars actually matter.  

The 2016 Oscars will broadcast live from Hollywood on Sunday, February 28 on ABC.

Who do you think got snubbed? Let us know in the comments!