Angela Bassett attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards wearing a purple dress
Photo Credit: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
The Internet Seems to Agree, Angela Bassett was the Biggest Snub of the 2023 Oscars
Angela Bassett, who played Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakonda Forever, lost the Best Supporting Actress Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards. Fans are now saying she was snubbed.
For the majority of the 2023 Oscar seasons, Angela Bassett, who played Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was seen as the favorite to take home the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the 95th Academy Awards.
But then Everything Everywhere All at Once came along, dominating the festival season (including the Screen Actors Guild Awards). And by the time the Oscars came along, Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Deirdre Beaubeirdre for 17 minutes of screen time in Everything Everywhere All at Once, became the favorite.
Curtis won the award last night, shocking and disappointing fans. The award seemed like a career achievement award, and, to Curtis’ credit, she seems to have realized that, giving a speech that covered her entire career arc and her work in genre films that aren’t traditionally acknowledged by the Academy.
What made the moment hurt for those rooting for Bassett, however, is that her performance in Wakanda Forever was one of the standouts of the year and the fact that she is owed her own “career” Oscar.
Curtis winning instantly went viral. Fans online couldn’t help but notice that Bassett didn’t even try to hide her disappointment, looking deadpan as Curtis’ name was called out, she didn’t stand or clap — which is custom.
Then, a couple of moments later, Michael B Jordan and Johnathan Majors (both villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe cog) came out to present the Best Cinematography Oscar. They made sure to give a shout out to Basset, saying, “Hey Auntie, we love you.”
A constant that was brought up on social media was that not only has Bassett already had a hall of fame career but that she gave one of the best performances of the last 50 years for her work as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to do with It. A performance she clearly should have won an Oscar for.
Check out more social media reactions below.
\u201cMichael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors give a shoutout to Angela Bassett: "Hey Auntie, we love you." #Oscars\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1678669600
\u201cyou\u2019re telling me that corny ass Performance from Jaime lee curtis was better than this piece of Art Angela Bassett delivered?https://t.co/lgykpGMKg7\u201d— ST\u2606RBOY (@ST\u2606RBOY) 1678668018
\u201cAngela Bassett\u2019s reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis\u2019 name being called\u2026you can tell how much that Oscar would have meant to her. she is, was, and always will be incredible. I better see her on that stage SOON\u201d— Spencer Althouse (@Spencer Althouse) 1678668365
\u201cAngela Bassett\u2026 you are EVERYTHING to us. Period \ud83d\udc9c\u201d— aux cord goddess \u2728 (@aux cord goddess \u2728) 1678668181
\u201cSHE WILL ALWAYS BE AN ACADEMY-AWARD WINNING IN MY EYES IDC! LEGENDARY ANGELA BASSETT, THEY PLAYING IN MY AUNTIE\u2019S FACE TOO MUCH!\u201d— khalia. | queen charlotte era \ud83d\udd4c\ud83c\udf3f (@khalia. | queen charlotte era \ud83d\udd4c\ud83c\udf3f) 1678668167
\u201cTHEY GAVE JAMIE LEE CURTIS AN OSCAR FOR A MOVIE SHE WAS BARELY IN BECAUSE THAT STUPID INDUSTRY BEEN IGNORING HER HER WHOLE CAREER\u2026ONLY TO ALSO IGNORE ANGELA BASSETT WHO IS BEYOND DESERVING OF THAT AWARD\u201d— Erin (@Erin) 1678668080
\u201cYou would swear Angela Bassett got up and said FUCK THE OSCARS the way these ppl carrying on. At least everyone gets to see the magnitude in which Black women are expected to perform and how our every emotion is policed. Decades in and she\u2019s not even allowed to fight back tears\u201d— Olayemi Olurin (@Olayemi Olurin) 1678683626
\u201cAngela Bassett\u2019s excellence is undeniable. But a reminder of the mentality she was up against in trying to win an Academy Award. Of course, not all voters think this way, but I\u2019m guessing this isn\u2019t the only voter that has these kind of views.\u201d— Jemele Hill (@Jemele Hill) 1678674531
\u201cGood for Angela Bassett not smiling nor clapping. Y\u2019all expect Black women to not only be exceptional, but be happy for other who get accolades we deserve over and over.\u201d— Get Her, Jade! (@Get Her, Jade!) 1678677427
\u201cidk this angela bassett \u201closs\u201d is hitting me really hard like it was me. cuz i feel like it was for all of us. we grew up watching her in ICONIC generation-shaping roles.\n\ntina turner, katherine jackson, rosa parks, betty shabazz, queen mother\u2026\n\nand BODIED EVERY ROLE.\u201d— CHIKA (allegedly)\ud83c\udf2a (@CHIKA (allegedly)\ud83c\udf2a) 1678674752
