Will Smith Weighs In On Oscars Diversity Issue

We all know where Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith stands on the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

You recall in 2016 she made headlines when she announced that she would be boycotting the ceremony because of the mostly white nominees. Among those overlooked were the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton for best picture and Will Smith for best actor in NFL film Concussion.

Now nearly four years later the Academy is under fire once again for it’s lack of diverse  nominees. So what does Will think about the matter? We got his take during the world premiere for his film Bad Boys For Life.

This year only five African American’s were nominated for an Oscar compared to a whopping 14 nominees in 2019. This decline comes even after the Academy made efforts to expand it’s voting body and include more diverse members.

This year many took issue with actors like Jennifer Lopez, Awkwafina and Eddie Murphy not garnering nominations for their work, not to mention not one single female in the Best Director category. Tyler Perry shared his dismay with the Academy with TMZ but told HipHollywood just days before the announcements that he has never aspired to win an Oscar.

“The honest truth is if I were interested in that, that is a path I would take,” said Perry while promoting his new film A Fall From Grace. “As wonderful as that is for some people I don’t get it and I know the politics of it … I can honestly say I have no desire.”

Since the 2020 nominations were announced the Academy has yet to address the controversy. The 92nd Academy Awards takes place February 9th … will you be watching?