Whoopi Goldberg is not boycotting the 2016 Oscars.
Although stars like Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee, and the Rev. Al Sharpton are urging stars to sit this one out, the controversial talk-show host is asking Black Hollywood to change its focus.
“It’s not that the problem is that the people who are nominated are too white. They’re not looking at a movie and saying, ‘Oh, that’s very White. I’m not going to nominate that Black movie,'” Goldberg explained. “They’re not sitting there like that! What the problem is, the people who can be helping to make movies that have Blacks and Latinos and women and all that — that movie doesn’t come to you. Because the idea is that there’s no place for Black movies.”
Instead, Goldberg points out that the error is with filmmakers. “In the history of movies, there has not been a plethora of black movies made, because people think we don’t want to see movies with Black people in them,” she exclaimed. “So, until you start making movies like The Avengers with more than 70 White folks saving the Earth — and I am mad about this, you know why? Because I would like to be one of those people saving the Earth, but they’re not coming to me!”
Goldberg, who won an Oscar for her role in 1990’s Ghost, went on to suggest that boycotting the annual event is a “slap in the face,” to its Black host, Chris Rock. “To boycott him seems just as bad as what everybody’s saying,” Goldberg said. “I find that also wrong. So, I’m not going to boycott, but I will continue to b—h all year-round.
“You wanna boycott something? Don’t go see the movies that don’t have your representation. That’s the boycott you want.”
While Goldberg holds an unpopular opinion, we have to admit she has a point here. If we want to see more Blacks nominated, we must support their flicks from the film festivals to the box office.
It’s been another whirlwind week, following the announcement of the 2016 Oscar nominations, where for the second consecutive year, all 20 acting nominees are White. The #OscarsSoWhite crew have taken over social media for the second year in a row. And now, celebrities from all walks of fame are urging fans to take a TV-tune-out. What’s next? guess we’ll have to wait and see as the Oscars kick off live on ABC at 7 p.m. EST.
