Award Shows January 28, 2016
Kevin Hart & Whoopi Goldberg Announced as Academy Award Presenters Amid #OscarSoWhite Controversy
The first presenters at the 2016 Oscars have just been announced!
Despite the lack of diversity among acting nominees, Kevin Hart, Whoopi Goldberg, Benicio Del Toro, Pharrell Williams, and The Weeknd have signed to present.
Other stars, who have agreed to be presenters include Tina Fey, Ryan Gosling, Charlize Theron, Jacob Tremblay, Lady Gaga, and Sam Smith.
On Monday, Goldberg defended the Academy after there were no people of color nominated in the acting categories. She said on “The View," "I won once, so it can't be that racist. The issue is not the Academy. Even if you fill the Academy with black and Latino and Asian members, if there's no one on the screen to vote for, you're not going to get the outcome that you want."
President Obama also offered his two cents on the controversy, saying to KABC, "I think the Oscar debate is really just an expression of this broader issue. Are we making sure that everybody is getting a fair shot? It makes for better entertainment. It makes everybody feel part of one American family. So I think as a whole, the industry should do what every other industry should do, which is to look for talent, provide opportunity to everybody.”
The 2016 Academy Awards airs February 28.