Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel hit out at the Academy for snubbing Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie.
Despite Barbie breaking several records following its release last summer, the director and lead star didn't receive a nomination in either the Best Director or Best Actress categories at the 2024 Academy Awards.
When the nominees were announced in January, the "snub" caused uproar on social media, with movie fans questioning the decision to skip Robbie and Gerwig, while nominating Ryan Gosling, who played Ken, for Best Supporting Actor—accusing the Academy of missing the point of the film.
The Context
Kimmel addressed the backlash in his opening monologue, telling the audience: "Barbie was a monster hit. One of the biggest movies of the year.
"What an achievement, to take a plastic doll nobody even liked anymore and now Barbie is a feminist icon."
The comedian then thanked Gerwig, who "many believed deserved to be nominated for Best Director tonight."
As the star-studded crowd showed support for his remarks, Kimmel said: "I know you're clapping, but you're the ones who didn't vote for her. Don't act like you had nothing to do with this."
Kimmel also praised Robbie for putting "this giant thing together." In addition to starring as Barbie, the 33-year-old was also a producer on the mega-hit.
Newsweek has reached out to Jimmy Kimmel, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig for comment via email.
What We Know
Although it missed out on Best Director and Best Actress nods, Barbie was nominated in several other categories including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, Best Supporting Actor and Actress and Best Costume Design.
The comedy took home the Best Original Song award for Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For." The 22-year-old penned the ballad's music and lyrics with her brother, Finneas O'Connell. This is the second time the duo has won the award, previously winning for "No Time to Die", written for the James Bond film of the same name, in 2022.
"I'm so grateful for this song, and this movie and the way it made me feel," Eilish said while collecting the award. "This goes out to everyone who was affected by this movie and how incredible it is."
Barbie broke the record for the biggest opening weekend for a female director when hitting theaters in July, grossing $356 million worldwide, which also made it the largest opening weekend of the year. It would go on to earn $1 billion in just 17 days, eventually topping the global box office for 2023.
The movie was also the most successful domestic release for Warner Bros ever. Barbie earned $620.7 million in the U.S. during its opening weekend, beating the previous record holder, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008), by $84.8 million.
Barbie's success has also inspired the doll's creator Mattel to make more movies based on its toys. Dubbed the "Mattel Cinematic Universe," a film based on Polly Pocket with Emily in Paris star Lily Collins is in the works, while Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya is producing a movie about Barney the dinosaur.
UPDATE: 03/10/2024, 11:20 p.m. ET. This article was updated to include additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more
