Politics At The Oscars: Celebrities Avoided Name-Checking Donald Trump, But Still Called Out Chaos And Division
The Oscars went without any mention of Donald Trump, but there was plenty of pushback to the first five weeks of the president’s tenure.
Presenters and performers referenced diversity, immigration, Israel-Palestinian harmony and, following the president’s Oval Office blowup with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine.
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In other words, it would hardly be shocking if the president took to Truth Social to blast this Oscarcast, even if this Academy Awards was not as frequently blatant in its swipes.
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After steering clear of politics during his opening monologue, Conan O’Brien stepped on stage about two-thirds of the way through the marathon ceremony to make a quip about the success of Anora: “Two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.”
That was a reference to Trump’s treatment of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a victim and reference to Zelensky as a “dictator,” even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine. Earlier, presenter Daryl Hannah walked on stage and shouted “Slava Ukraini,” pointedly showing support for a country whose support from the U.S. government is now in doubt.
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The filmmakers of No Other Land, winner of best documentary feature, criticized U.S. foreign policy as they accepted their award, for a movie that lacks U.S. distribution.
“There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people,” said Yuval Abraham. “And I have to say, as I’m here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path.”
That said, the atmosphere of this Oscars was a bit different from 2017 and the first Oscars during Trump’s first term, when host Jimmy Kimmel peppered his monologue with quips. Back then, the resistance was already in full force, and figures like Meryl Streep used their award season platforms to directly call out the administration.
Despite his Russia joke, O’Brien isn’t known for his political humor like other hosts. Through the rest of the night, he kept his humor rather silly, even if the ingredients were there for some swipe at the administration’s assault on diversity, equity and inclusion or the president’s obsession with Canada as the 51st state, among other moments of the past five weeks.
It’s not a surprise. Producers this year signaled that they wanted to keep politics to a minimum, perhaps aware of the inevitable eye-rolling on the right.
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And in contrast to the resistance of Trump’s first term, the corporate side of Hollywood so far has avoided any type of public pushback, even in the face of questionable investigations and inquires over everything from DEI to Kamala Harris’ appearance on Saturday Night Live. Now there’s plenty of consternation throughout the business over the price being paid — literally — to try to get on the president’s good side.
Some performers and presenters addressed politics in less direct ways, referencing this period of chaos and discord and the power of movies to unite.
Zoe Salda?a, winner of best supporting actress for Emilia Pérez, said, “My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands.”
She then added, “The fact that I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted.” On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language.
Adrien Brody, winner of best actor for The Brutalist, made a sweeping statement addressing how the themes of the movie relate to the current darkness and division in the world.
“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war, and systematic oppression and anti-semitism and racism, and of ‘othering.’ I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world,” he said. “And I believe if the past teaches us anything, it is a reminder not to let hate go unchecked.”
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