The 95th Academy Awards has sparked outrage among viewers, who have questioned why certain stars were not honored during the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment—including one whose movie was nominated for best picture.
In keeping with tradition, the annual ceremony on Sunday took a break from celebrating award winners to pay emotional tribute to the numerous actors and film industry professionals who had died over the past year.
John Travolta was seen holding back tears as he introduced this segment’s segment, which featured a performance from veteran rocker Lenny Kravitz.
“Each of them left an indelible mark that shared and informed us,” said the actor of those who had passed on. “They’ve touched our hearts, they’ve made us smile, and became dear friends, who we we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.”
Among those recognized on the night was Olivia Newton-John, who starred alongside Travolta in the classic 1978 musical Grease and continued to be a life-long friend until she died in August 2022.
Also included in the dozens of industry professionals whose photos were shown on the large screen at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater were James Caan, Ray Liotta and Jean-Luc Godard.
However, there was outrage among a number of viewers who took to Twitter to point out that many other key figures who were omitted.
Sharing a photo of Anne Heche—who died in August after crashing her car into a home in Mar Vista, California six days prior—one Twitter user wrote: “The Oscars should be ashamed not including the deeply talented, too often underrated Anne Heche in their In Memoriam montage.”
Posting an image of Paul Sorvino, who passed away in July at the age of 83, another viewer tweeted: “Can anyone explain why this happens every year? Oscars In Memoriam Segment Missing Paul Sorvino, Anne Heche, Tom Sizemore, Leslie Jordan and Charlbi Dean From Oscar-Nominated Triangle Of Sadness.”
“The Oscars really botched the In Memoriam segment this year,” said another Twitter user, who listed “People who definitely should have been included in the In Memoriam segment: Pat Carroll, Melinda Dillon, Charles Fuller, Philip Baker Hall, Anne Heche, Robert Morse, Paul Sorvino, Stella Stevens, Topol, Fred Ward, David Warner, and Cindy Williams .”
“Can someone explain to me how Charlbi Dean was NOT included in the ‘In Memoriam’ tribute even though she was part of the cast of Triangle of Sadnessone of this year’s Best Picture nominees?!” one viewer commented.
This story will be updated.
The 95th Academy Awards has sparked outrage among viewers, who have questioned why certain stars were not honored during the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment—including one whose movie was nominated for best picture.
