The Oscars come under fire every year for some transgression or another. Naturally, this year’s 92nd Academy Awards was no different. Complaints usually revolve around the host, lack of diversity, or movies and actors who have been snubbed. There was no host last night, there was more visibility for people of color, women, and the queer community, and Parasite made history, but there was one major snub that people are not happy about: Luke Perry was not featured in the In Memoriam montage.
When Billie Eilish and Finneas took the stage to perform “Yesterday” in tribute to those we lost last year and earlier this year (including Kobe Bryant), Perry’s face was nowhere to be seen. What makes things worse is that Perry—who died of a stroke last year at age 52—appeared with Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Best Picture nominee Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Obviously, the Academy Awards has to fit its programming within specific time confines, which is why everyone can’t be featured (and why, every year, there is outcry over omissions). It’s unlikely Perry was intentionally snubbed (and the same goes for horror legend Sid Haig and Disney darling Cameron Boyce, also absent from the In Memoriam montage). Still, it’s a pretty puzzling oversight.
Fans of the late actor were not happy
Wait a minute? Let me see if I'm understanding this…the Oscars had a memoriam and somehow Luke Perry was excluded despite that he's in one of the nominated films?! pic.twitter.com/3nth2skJHp
— ericastwilight (@ericastwilight) February 10, 2020
I got you, luke perry pic.twitter.com/a8GhkPHJrk
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) February 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/fuggirls/status/1226736384230080512?s=20
Meanwhile, fans pointed out other snubs
https://twitter.com/TheMoeSamir/status/1226843372490547200?s=20
https://twitter.com/cworley2007/status/1226758349376688128?s=20
The fact that The Academy failed to include Luke Perry AND Cameron Boyce in their tribute is something I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around #Oscars pic.twitter.com/QvaH36IXyH
— sara (@bookishbegnning) February 10, 2020
Dear #Oscars …
1. Get a host.
2. Use chyrons.
3. Please stop leaving folks out of "In Memoriam":
– Ron Leibman
– Michael J. Pollard
– Robert Walker Jr.
– Tim Conway
– Caroll Spinney
– Rene Auberjonois
– Jan-Michael Vincent
– Cameron Boyce
– Luke Perry
– Denise Nickerson!— Gary Miereanu (@SuperPRGuy) February 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/Iowkeyherron/status/1226746527843962880?s=20
And then there was that person who wishes everyone would just calm down and back away from the keyboard
Can’t fit everyone, or the segment would go half an hour. Perry, Sid Haig and Cameron Boyce were all featured in the more lengthy online In Memoriam section of the Academy's website.
— Madness Of March Tournament Challenge 🍊🏀 (@madnessofmarch) February 10, 2020
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