Since the list of nominees was released in January, the Academy has received a lot of criticism and hate for all 20 categories on the list were strictly white. Many actors refused to even attend the event as a sign of protest. A hashtag has even grown out of this turmoil #OscarSoWhite. Actors such as Chris Rock decided to attack the Academy outright, such as in his speech during the Oscars. 

Starting off Chris Rock stated, “Welcome to the White People’s Choice Awards. See, if they were nominating the host tonight, I wouldn’t even get this job”. Rock opened this year’s Academy Awards directly and without hesitation. He addressed the diversity issues that have been plaguing the media since all the nominees for the Oscars were white and talked on behalf of colored people. He talked about this issue without holding anything back stating, “”We want opportunity. We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors. That’s it.” and “Is Hollywood racist? You damn right Hollywood’s racist. Hollywood is sorority racist: We like you Rhonda, but you’re not a Kappa”. 

There has been positive feedback for Rock’s way of addressing the issue because many people thought it was highly necessary and appropriately gone about. However, although Chris Rock has many fans, his speech has received a lot of negative feedback. Akiba Solomon, who disliked Chris Rock’s monologue stated that, “It was humiliating and painful to watch a black man make fun of a Black woman and Black struggle for the uneasy laughter of a staggeringly White audience. It’s almost cliché to point out that there’s a difference between laughing with us and laughing at us. But Rock was such a cliché monster at the 88th Annual Academy Awards, this may be the only language he understands nowadays”. There is a lot of controversy over Chris Rock’s speech, but the situation was something that needed to be addressed, although his way may or may not have been the best one to do it.