It’s every movie lover’s favorite time of the year: Oscar season! And although the Academy typically gets it right each year, as Black folks, we know there are plenty number of films, directors, and actors who didn’t get the shine they truly deserved. From Spike Lee to Angela Bassett (twice!), these Black icons were snubbed big time. So now, we’re revisiting the past to make sure no one ever forgets what should have been.
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As we rev up for what is expected to be an historic night for the Academy Awards, here’s just five of the most outrageous snubs of Black stars in Oscar history.
1. Angela Bassett - “What’s Love Got to Do With It”
It’s a Oscar snub that will forever haunt us: Angela Bassett’s first ever nomination for Best Actress for “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” After Bassett loss the award to Holly Hunter for Jane Campion’s film “The Piano,” many declared she had been “robbed” after such a stellar portrayal of rock legend Tina Turner.
Although Black folks haven’t forgiven the Oscars, Bassett told Gayle King she doesn’t see her loss in that way. “I never walk away thinking, ‘I’ve been robbed,’” Bassett said. “That’s too negative of an emotion to carry with me for the rest of my life. I choose to believe there was a reason why it didn’t happen.”
2. Spike Lee - Best Director
If you can believe it, iconic director Spike has never won an Oscar for Best Director. This is the same man that brought us “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcom X,” and “Inside Man.” The only time Lee was ever nominated in this category was for “BlacKkKlansman” in 2019.
That same year, “BlacKkKlansman” took home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. This shockingly marked Lee’s first ever Oscar award.
3. Pam Grier - “Jackie Brown”
In what’s considered one of the biggest Oscars snubs of all time, everyone was sure Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film “Jackie Brown” would land Pam Grier an award... but no. In fact, Grier didn’t even get a single nomination that year, but her co-star, Robert Forster, surely did.
Despite the snub, the film is still one of the most referenced movies of all time, with even R&B star Brent Faiyaz releasing a song titled “Jackie Brown.”
4. John Singleton - “Boyz N The Hood”
“Boyz N The Hood” goes down as one of the greatest Black films from the ‘90s, so could you believe when it came time for the 1992 Academy Awards that it only received two noms and zero awards?? Director John Singleton was nominated for Best Director, and the film was up for Original Screenplay.
Singleton didn’t win the Oscar for Best Director, but still he made history as the youngest nominee of all time, which still holds up today even after his death. He was also the first Black person to be nominated in the category.
5. Denzel Washington - “Malcolm X”
You can’t think we would forget about this one! Shockingly— or maybe not so much so— “Malcolm X” was blatantly overlooked at the 1993 Academy Awards. Spike Lee’s biopic film only received two nominations, with one of which being for Best Actor. Folks were rightfully disturbed when Denzel Washington didn’t walk away with the win after such a masterful performance.
It’s no question that Washington’s portrayal of the late Civil Rights Leader is one of his best, and even Lee called Washington’s snub “egregious.” And to this day, it stills burns.
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