Will Smith joins Oscars boycott, says he won’t attend

The 47-year-old actor was hotly tipped to receive a nod for a best actor Academy Award thanks to his role as Dr. Bennet Omalu in drama movie Concussion, but when the nominations were announced last Thursday many were left shocked that no black stars featured in any of the lead categories.

“I think they are reflective of the African-American community”, Davis said of the actors who are speaking out against the lack of diversity.

Will Smith appeared on Good Morning America earlier today to say that he’s standing with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in not attending the 88th Academy Awards.

Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith and Snoop Dogg subsequently announced they would not be attending or watching the ceremony, and singer/rapper Tyrese Gibson called for comedian Chris Rock to step down as host. He explained, “Everybody is fantastic and that’s the complexity of this issue”. “We’ve discussed it. We’re part of this community. We’d still be here having this conversation”.

As he did in his letter, Lee said the fault for the absence of minority nominees lay with the studio executives who decide what films are made rather than the academy and its voting membership.

Director Steve McQueen and actress Lupita Nyong’o are among the other names who have called for more diversity from the Academy. And I came home, ‘What happened?’

“I was out of the country at the time”, he told Robin Roberts in his first interview on the subject.

The Avengers star admits he feels torn over the Oscars boycott because he is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, which campaigns against violence toward black citizens, but he also wants to represent the real-life victims depicted in his movie at the ceremony. Always going against Aunt Viv’s wishes, that Fresh Prince.

“That’s why we are great”, he said of the “melting pot” that is America.

Janet continued, “I find it ironic that somebody who has made their living, made their living and made millions and millions of dollars from the very people that you’re talking about boycotting just because you didn’t get a nomination, just because you didn’t win?”