The Academy Awards Hollywood’s Ultimate Publicity Gimmick

The Civil War era nursery rhyme “The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be / many long years ago” could also apply to the Academy Awards television program over the past few years.

At one time, the speeches of presenters and winners at the Academy Awards and other award shows regularly generated news headlines because they directly called out politicians by name.

A few examples from an internet search include:

Michael Moore (2003): While accepting the Best Documentary Oscar for Bowling for Columbine, Moore criticized President George W. Bush, calling him a “fictitious president” leading the country to war for “fictitious reasons.”

Mark Ruffalo (2026): Used a red carpet event in early 2026 to deliver a scathing criticism of President Donald Trump related to immigration policies.

Meryl Streep (2017): Although at the Golden Globes, Streep’s critical remarks about Donald Trump set the tone for anti Trump commentary that followed during that awards season.

Leonardo DiCaprio (2017 to 2020): Has frequently, both at award events and through the media, criticized President Trump, particularly after the United States withdrew from the Paris climate agreement.

Jimmy Kimmel (2017 to 2018): In his Oscar opening monologues, Kimmel made direct jokes targeting Donald Trump, including predicting his reactions on Twitter.

Robert De Niro (2018 to 2026): Frequently used industry award platforms and related media events to launch direct critiques of Donald Trump.

And in 1973, Marlon Brando refused his Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather to protest Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans and draw attention to the Wounded Knee occupation in South Dakota. He sent Apache activist Sacheen Littlefeather to read a statement in his place.

What has been missing from recent Academy Awards broadcasts are actors using the platform to express opinions about the political scene in the United States, comments that once generated headlines the following day. Now, most speeches seem scripted and any spontaneous remarks appear to be left on the editing room floor.

I tuned in to the March 15 Academy Awards broadcast mainly to watch Conan O’Brien’s monologue because I thought his 2025 performance was hilarious. This one was pale in comparison, as were many of the speeches by winners compared with those of the past.

After O’Brien completed his monologue, I had someone else watch the remainder of the program and note any mention of American politicians by name. Alas, there were none. The winners played by the rules set by the program’s directors. That should not be surprising. Actors are talented readers of scripts, and their movements are carefully choreographed by directors.

Instead of listening to speech after speech in which winners thanked mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and cousins by the dozen, I switched to watching the classic Hollywood film Johnny Belinda. The movie received 12 Academy Award nominations in 1948, and Jane Wyman won the Oscar for Best Actress.

Academy Award winners, however, might eventually have to shorten their speeches. Demographers are concerned about the declining birth rate in the United States, which means future winners may simply have fewer relatives to thank. That may be bad for the country, but good for viewers of the Academy Awards broadcast.

There were a few political references from host O’Brien and guest presenter Jimmy Kimmel. But neither mentioned any politician by name, and that is worrisome.

Supporters of the Trump administration are not afraid to criticize Democratic politicians, as they have the right to do. People who object to the administration’s policies should not be fearful of doing the same. Remaining silent only benefits those who want to curtail freedom of speech.

The Academy Awards broadcast reminded me of telecasts of the Super Bowl and Olympic Games. During those events, the commercials may feature different products and actors, but they often feel remarkably similar and quickly forgotten.

The same could be said about many of the Oscar acceptance speeches. They sounded alike. Only the award categories changed.

Newspaper colleagues of mine have said that is also how they sometimes view public relations programs. The product or spokesperson may change, but the structure often remains the same.

The Academy Awards, like most award shows, are public relations events for their industries. And most public relations programs try to avoid controversy.

But the Academy Awards have become too scripted for my taste. I would rather hear actors say something that challenges my own political beliefs than hear nothing but “I want to thank.”