With the countdown to the Oscars officially on, The Academy has unveiled another round of presenters for the star-studded show.
However, netizens shook their heads with disapproval over some names on the list.
The 97th Academy Awards, to be held on Sunday, March 2, will be hosted by Conan O’Brien.
The Academy has unveiled the next batch of presenters for the much-awaited award show
The Academy said this year’s presenters will include Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson.
John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, Bowen Yang, and June Squibb have also taken spots on the list.
The fresh batch of names were added to an already stellar list of presenters—Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who won the Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress at the 2024 Oscars.
The Academy is expected to continue announcing names of presenters in the weeks to come.
Some netizens laid eyes on the list and showed immediate disappointment.
“All of those names are filth,” said one critic, while another claimed it’s “never a good list.”
“I’m yawning at the list now. What a joke of a line up,” one said.
Oscar winner Whoopi in particular was the subject of several comments.
Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Whoopi Goldberg, and Scarlett Johansson were named as presenters
“EW Whoopi,” one said while another wrote, “Wow, Goldberg hasn’t been at the Oscars in quite some time.”
“After all Whoopi Goldbergs bs she’s really still presenting. Already sick of the Hollywood elite but come on,” another wrote. “They’ll be broke in another 10 years.”
“Definitely not watching anything with Whoopi Goldberg,” another wrote.
The presenters are joining last year’s winners: Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., and Da’Vine Joy Randolph
“Not Whoopi! Can’t stand her,” one admitted.
Whoopi will be returning to the Academy Awards stage as a presenter for the first time in nearly a decade.
In recent years, the Sister Act star has been scrutinized by some groups for her comments on the talk show, The View.
“Definitely won’t be watching!” one social media user declared after the new batch of presenters were announced
She was suspended from the show for two weeks for saying the N-zi genocide of the Jews was “not about race” but about “man’s inhumanity to man.”
The comedian later apologized for having “misspoke” and said, “[The H—caust] is indeed about race, because H-tler and the N-zis considered the Jews to be an inferior race.”
On another occasion, fans criticized her for asking co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin if she was pregnant on-air.
“No,” Alyssa yelled. “…You can’t say that when my mother-in-law is here.”
“Why would you say that?” another co-host said.
Some netizens felt it was an absolutely inappropriate moment to ask the question.
“Even if she were pregnant, she would have forced her to announce with that question,” one netizen wrote on X after the show. “She could ask during break or before the start of the show. Such a disgusting behavior.”
The EGOT-winning star was suspended from The View for her marks about the N-zi genocide of the Jews
Whoopi’s other controversial statements over the years include her 2009 remarks about Roman Polanksi. She said at the time that the film director, who pleaded guilty to “unlawful s-x with a minor” in 1977, was not guilty of “r*pe-r*pe”.
She had also initially defended Bill Cosby as he faced sexual assault allegations. But she later changed her stance.
In 2014, the EGOT-winning star faced backlash for sharing her opinion on Ray Rice’s 2014 domestic violence scandal, during which he was seen brutally abusing his wife, Janay Palmer.
The Sister Act star previously appeared to defend Roman Polanksi, Bill Cosby, and other controversial figures
“If you make the choice as a woman who is 4’3” and you decide to hit a guy who is 6 foot tall and you’re the last thing you want he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised,” she said on The View.
While Whoopi was dating Ted Danson in the 1990s, the couple faced immense controversy when the actor appeared in blackface as part of his comedic routine during a 1993 Friars Club roast of Whoopi.
The bit, which was seen as racist and insensitive, was partly Whoopi’s idea.
Her past controversies have tainted her reputation among some audiences, who did not welcome the news of her being an Oscar presenter.
“Whoopi needs to just go away,” one quipped after the news.
As for the titles with the most Oscar nominations, Netflix’s crime musical Emilia Pérez took the lead with 13 nominations. The Brutalist and Wicked closely followed with 10 nominations each.
Timothée Chalamet, nominated for Best Actor for A Complete Unknown, could make Oscar history this year. If he takes home the award, it would make him the youngest male winner in the category.
Actress Karla Sofía Gascón, the leading lady in Emilia Pérez, made history by being the first transgender woman to be nominated.
For the full list of nominees, click here.
Netizens targeted Whoopi after The Academy’s latest announcement
