Let’s face it, this year’s Oscars just isn’t going to make everyone happy. Since preparations for the 91st Academy Awards began, there’s been controversy after controversy. It started with the Academy’s announcement of the Best Popular Film Oscar in August, which has since been reevaluated, and then continued with the decision to go without a host this year after Kevin Hart stepped down from the role.
But wait, there’s more! Since the telecast will not feature a host this year, the Academy has been aiming to book the biggest stars in Hollywood to present the awards. This will reportedly break the tradition of the Oscar winners from the year directly prior from presenting the award off to those next in line. According to Vanity Fair, this leaves out Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand and Allison Janney from participating in the show.
Allison Janney has recently spoken out about how bummed she is about the reported change to the ceremony. She took to the comment section of Instagram fan account @allisonjanneystyle to announce “it’s looking like they are not going to honor the tradition this year,” along with saying “it breaks my heart.” The post has since been deleted. Her response was sparked by other commenters discussing what she might wear at the award show.
The actress won her first Oscar last year in the Best Supporting Actress category for her portrayal of Tonya Harding’s mother in I, Tonya. Her award was presented by the 2017 winner for Best Supporting Actor, Mahershala Ali, who won for Moonlight and will be up again this year in the same category for Green Book.
After being given the honor of the gold trophy, it makes sense that the actress would want to share the special moment to this year’s winner. If the news is true, the Academy is prioritizing shoeing in this year’s big stars into presenting the acting awards to cater to a more mainstream audience.
In recent years, the Oscars has declined in viewership, with the fact “unknown” films have won the top awards possibly playing a role with that. This year, three of eight Best Picture nominees were big box office earners, including 2018’s highest grossing film Black Panther, music biopic record-breaker Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born.
The telecast has also been criticized for running too long, so this year the Academy is focusing on keeping the show at three hours. ABC President Karey Burke recently said they think their decision to go without a host this year will contribute to a shorter show this year.
The Academy has not confirmed this decision to leave out Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand and Allison Janney from presenting the acting awards during the ceremony. We’ll see who will present these categories when the show airs on ABC on Sunday, February 24.
