With Beyonce’s domination at the Grammys and “Emilia Perez” becoming the second-most Oscar-nominated film of all time, snubbed fans have taken to social media to express their outrage this awards season.
From the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Grammys and other awards shows, culture lovers want to see their favorite films, actors and artists be recognized for their work at the highest level.
Unfortunately, nomination spots are minimal for each category, leading many artists and works to be “snubbed,” meaning they were wrongfully overlooked for nominations. With 2024 seeing a high-volume release of renowned films, many productions were left out of the Academy Award nominations.
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, is considered the most prestigious awards show for motion pictures. A large board of industry professionals decides just five nominees for each category, ranging from the more popular “Best Picture” and “Best Actress” to the less competitive “Best Documentary Feature Film.”
Nominations for the Oscars were released on Jan. 23 in anticipation of the March 2 awards ceremony. Users quickly turned to social media outraged over some of the year’s biggest snubs.
Notably, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” picked up zero Oscar nominations. Regarded as a “modern cultural phenomenon” by The Daily Princetonian for its creative use of cinematography, sports and intimacy, it was shocking for the film not to earn any recognition from the academy, especially after receiving four Golden Globe nominations and winning “Best Original Score” on Jan. 5.
Some other snubs from the nominations include Nicole Kidman in “Babygirl,” Angelina Jolie in “Maria” and Pamela Anderson in “The Last Showgirl” for best actress. Margaret Qualley was a major contender for her supporting role in “The Substance” but was left out. Despite the acclaim, Dennis Quad and “Queer” also went unnominated.
Social media of course plays a large role in swaying public opinion in the modern digital age. The movie adaptation of the “Wicked” musical amassed over 700 million box-office dollars in 2024, largely thanks to its attention on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, leading to successful merchandising campaigns and more.
Therefore, the 13 Oscar nominations for Netflix movie-musical “Emilia Perez,” overshadowing Wicked’s 10, created an uproar online. Forbes says it is “as bad as audiences say,” with a mere 25% audience approval rating, creating a disparity between industry experts and general audiences.
The film follows a lawyer who is forced into helping a Mexican crime boss undergo foreign gender-affirming surgery to become a woman, ultimately emerging as Emilia Perez. The abstract plot concept left many watchers disengaged, and some of the film’s original songs have even become internet memes due to their ridiculous lyrics.
“I barely got through the movie,” HHS senior Rosemary Roberts said. “I get what they were trying to do with the artistry and message, but as someone just trying to watch [Emilia Perez] for fun, it was terrible.”
However, the academy’s nominations are not influenced by public opinion. The film does not follow the typical musical style, which is exactly why it is so lauded by professionals. Voters must consider the artistry of works in a time where culture often lacks originality.
The disconnect between public acclaim and professional critique was also evident at The Grammy Awards on Feb. 2. Similar to the Oscars, a board of top music industry professionals who form The Recording Academy nominate and select winners for 94 categories ranging from “Best Song” and “Best New Artist” to less popular, non-televised awards such as “Best Regional Roots Music Album.”
Once again, users took to social media, widely displeased with many Grammy winners.
Amid surrounding controversy regarding her control in the music industry, Beyonce took home three Grammys for her pop-country album “Cowboy Carter,” winning “Best Country Album,” “Best Country Duo/Group Performance” and the highly coveted “Best Album.”
Social media users were quick to highlight the album has 72 songwriters cited, with other favorites in the category, such as Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” only listing two, and Charli XCX’s “Brat,” with less than 10.
“I don’t think it was her best album,” Roberts said. “There was definitely more deserving like Billie [Ellish’s] album was just so good. But I think the argument about how many songwriters it has would only make sense if she won best song because that’s more about the writing but for album of the year that doesn’t really matter.”
The album was entirely left out of last November’s Country Music Awards nominations for its loose interpretation of the genre, making its Grammy win for “Best Country Album” over established artists such as Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves questionable.
However, Beyonce and the Academy are more open-minded to innovation in the industry than the everyday listener. She even defended her entrance into the genre in her acceptance speech.
“I think sometimes ‘genre’ is a code word to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about,” Beyonce said. “And to stay persistent.”
Notably, Taylor Swift won zero awards for her album “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” along with Billie Eilish, also a top contender in many categories.
At the end of the day, though it may be upsetting for fan favorites to get snubbed during awards season, the world continues to spin. And as many opinions as people want to share on social media, the academies will remain unaffected by backlash and discontentment from the public.
“I might be upset if something I really like doesn’t win,” HHS senior Phillips Ydel said. “But I move on in like 10 minutes, at the end of the day, it’s not that deep to me. I don’t understand why people will get so upset about it.”
