Whoopi Goldberg defended the Oscars nominations for Barbie after the Academy received backlash for "snubbing" director Greta Gerwig and star/producer Margot Robbie.
Goldberg, who has won an Oscar for best supporting actress, and was formerly an Academy board member, discussed this year's nominations with her The View co-hosts during a recent episode.
"Barbie grossed over $1 billion," pointed out host Alyssa Farah Griffin (via Entertainment Weekly). "Hello, studios, maybe hire more female directors if you want to produce blockbusters. We're half the population, we turn out, we want to see these. Also, did they miss the whole moral of the story of Barbie? Of course we celebrate just Ken, not the woman who's the lead in it and the icon in it."
This, BTW, was in reference to Ryan Gosling receiving a nod for best supporting actor for his Ken to Robbie's Barbie.
Goldberg assured the other women that what might be viewed as a snub by the wider public isn't actually a snub. "Here’s the deal: Everybody doesn’t win!" she said.
In response to Sunny Hostin asking about the snubs, Goldberg said, "Well, but they’re not snubs. And that’s what I want to sort of point out."
She continued, "And it’s not the elites—it’s the entire family of the Academy who vote for Best Picture nominations. We all vote for Best Picture, everybody. So there are seven to 10 nominations that happen, and you don’t get everything that you want to get." (EW points out that there are actually always 10 nominations for best picture.)
Goldberg added, "There are no snubs, and that’s what you have to keep in mind: Not everybody gets a prize. The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting."
Robbie and Gerwig being excluded from their primary categories in the Oscars nominations (they received nominations elsewhere) has generated a boatload of discourse, especially considering the film's feminist message.
Gosling himself issued a statement expressing his disappointment at Robbie and Gerwig's exclusion, though his partner Eva Mendes later defended him.
