Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith To Boycott Oscars; Academy Responds

The backlash against this year's Academy Award nominations escalated Monday with announcements by director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith that they would boycott the Feb. 28 Oscars ceremony, citing the absence of people of color in all four acting categories for the second year in a row.

If other prominent entertainment industry figures join the boycott, it has the potential to spoil Hollywood's annual showcase event. And should large numbers of African American viewers tune out, it could dent ratings for the Oscars telecast — the primary source of revenue for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

"It has such high ratings most years, so the image of Hollywood that the academy presents is at stake," said Ana-Christina Ramón, assistant director and associate researcher at UCLA's Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies.

Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith To Boycott Oscars; Academy Responds

Ramon noted that the academy strives to present an image of diversity, an image that could be jeopardized by a boycott.

"People will take notice," she said. "Even when they're not nominated, minority actors are trotted out. They try to show diversity among presenters."

"I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion," academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement released Monday night. "This is a difficult but important conversation, and it's time for big change."

She added that the academy would be taking "dramatic steps" to alter the makeup of its membership and to accelerate diversity efforts.

A statement from Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs pic.twitter.com/Nqhgc7sbqG— The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 19, 2016

Lee's decision to skip the Oscars had an extra sting because the academy recently bestowed the director with an honorary Oscar in November for his career work, which includes such racially charged movies as "Do the Right Thing" and "Malcolm X."

It's customary for honorary Oscar winners to attend Hollywood's biggest night at the Dolby Theatre and to receive a moment of recognition during the telecast. But in a message posted to on his Instagram account, the outspoken director said that he and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, won't be at the ceremony. Lee demanded to know "how is it possible for the [second] consecutive year all 20 contenders in the acting category are white?" Read More