Enough of Hollywoke! Hannity blasts the Oscars as ‘a far left protest telling Americans how to think' and says viewership has tanked like it did for NFL when Kaepernick took knee. Megyn Kelly criticizes 'incessant lecturing'
Sean Hannity on Monday night criticized the Oscars for being overly political, agreeing with his former Fox News colleague Megyn Kelly that the 'woke' show had alienated viewers and driven ratings to an all-time low.
Just 9.85 million viewers tuned in - a 58 per cent drop on last year, which was already a record low, with 23.64 million viewers, according to early Nielsen numbers.
Hannity derided the Oscars as 'one big far left protest where self-obsessed celebrities berate the American people and tell them how to think'.
He likened the Oscars ratings dip to that suffered by the NFL, after former San Francisco 49ers star Colin Kaepernick in 2016 began protesting against police brutality by taking the knee during the national anthem.
Viewing figures for football games dropped eight per cent in the wake of Kaepernick taking the knee, with internal research by TV network CBS suggesting the protest was at least partly to blame for that slump.
Sean Hannity on Monday night attacked the Oscars for its series of political speeches
Colin Kaepernick (center) began his kneeling protest in 2016
'Remember the NFL also had their serious dip in ratings when backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to turn the game into one big political protest against the U.S,' said Hannity.
'In 2016, after he kneeled for the first time, ratings dumped a whopping 12 per cent, and 34 per cent of Americans said they were less likely to watch an NFL game due to players taking a stand and protesting the national anthem.'
He continued: 'And then there are Academy Awards.'
Hannity pointed out that in 1998, more than 55 million people tuned in.
'In 2021, now that the Awards have turned into one big far left protest, where self-obsessed celebrities berate the American people and tell them how to think, now the viewership is completely bottomed out,' he said.
He said viewers were turned off by celebrities delivering speeches with 'plenty of sanctimonious political rhetoric, including a healthy dose of anti-police slander.'
Kelly, who used to work for Fox News, but now hosts a podcast, agreed. She wrote earlier on Twitter: 'How's all that incessant, insufferable woke, depressing lecturing via film, interviews, social media & at the actual, awful awards show going, Hollywood?'
Kelly has positioned herself as an 'anti-woke' champion since she was fired from NBC in 2018 for commenting about blackface, and her new podcast gives voice to conservative criticism.
Kelly, who now hosts her own podcast, laughed at the low ratings for the Oscars on Monday
Tyler Perry, right, gave a speech about 'refusing hate' after being presented with a special award by Viola Davis, left, at Sunday night's ceremony in Los Angeles
Actor and director Tyler Perry, who was presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, was among those urging the audience to re-evaluate their lives.
'I refuse to hate someone because they are Mexican or because they are black or white or LBGTQ,' he said.
'I refuse to hate someone because they are a police officer. I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian.'
Regina King, meanwhile, opened her monologue with a discussion of George Floyd, and Derek Chauvin's conviction.
Kelly's condemnation was echoed among her followers on Twitter.
'I used to love watching The Oscars, but I don't enjoy it anymore because of the political lecturing, so I no longer watch,' said one woman.
Another called for the return of host Billy Crystal.
'Oscars were fun when there were hosts who kept it funny, moved it along, and poked fun at the participants. I especially enjoyed the days of Billy Crystal.
'One-off rants used to be funny, but now it's the norm as celebrities worry they'll be called out if they aren't woke enough.'
Another agreed, adding: 'I remember looking forward to seeing Kevin Hart host. He was canceled. I haven't watched a second of it since,' said one man.
Hart was due to host in 2019, but he lost the job when past homophobic tweets of his resurfaced.
Others pointed out that the pandemic meant people were not going to cinemas, and so less engaged in the year's offerings - which were not necessarily the studios' finest.
'Did you ever think the studios held off their top movies this year cause theaters weren't open fully? Try using common sense before pushing your narrative,' he said.
The huge drop in ratings for Hollywood's biggest night, however, continues an overall multi-year downward trend for the Academy Awards, which were above 43 million as recently as 2014.
It comes after the Grammys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards all experienced more than 50 percent declines in viewership this year as well.
The number of people who tuned in to watch the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night was at an all-time low of 9.85 million viewers. It is a 58 percent drop compared to last year's already record-low 23.64 million viewers
The number of people who tuned into watch the Oscars last night has hit an all-time low with just 9.85 million viewers. Pictured above in Regina King presenting the Oscar for Original Screenplay
The Oscars broadcast, which aired on ABC, had a small in-person attendance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's ceremony was moved from a Hollywood theater to a glammed-up Los Angeles train station to abide by strict pandemic protocols
According to the latest figures available on Nielsen, CBS' NCIS show would have attracted more viewer than the Oscars. NCIS attracted 10.2 million viewers based on data the week ending April 5.
Film fans already had criticized this year's ceremony as the 'wokest ever' after a string of virtue-signaling speeches by stars before Anthony Hopkins was attacked for winning the best actor award above Chadwick Boseman.
Director Travon Free showed off a jacket emblazoned with the names of black people killed by police and Mia Neal then spoke about 'breaking the glass ceiling' for trans and minority ethnic people in her acceptance speech for best hair and makeup.
With movie theaters shut for most of the year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and several blockbuster films starring big-name actors postponed, a less familiar crop of nominees was competing.
Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' was the big winner with the director becoming the second woman and first woman of color to take home the best picture prize.
The Oscars broadcast, which aired on ABC, had a small in-person crowd - just 170 - amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year's ceremony was moved from a Hollywood theater to a glammed-up Los Angeles train station to abide by strict pandemic protocols.
After years of criticism over racial diversity, Zhao became the first Asian woman and only the second woman ever to win best director for Nomadland, British actor Daniel Kaluuya won best supporting actor for Judas and the Black Messiah and 73-year-old South Korean Youn Yuh-jung won best supporting actress for Minari.
The Best Picture winner Nomadland grossed just $2.5 million. Pictured: Producer Peter Spears, Frances McDormand, director Chloe Zao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey
Sunday night's Oscars - widely condemned as the most boring in history - ended with further upset after Anthony Hopkins beat Chadwick Boseman to win Best Actor
Many then assumed the night would end with a posthumous award for Chadwick Boseman, given the organizers decided to make it the last category even though the ceremony usually concludes with the best picture gong.
Anthony Hopkins, however, unexpectedly won the best actor category.
Despite breaking the record for oldest best actor winner at 83 for his portrayal of a man with dementia in The Father, it prompted fury among viewers who declared he had 'stolen' it.
'Chadwick Boseman was robbed,' one furious viewer tweeted, before another added: 'The Oscars have proven once again that they have no idea what they're doing.'
Hopkins' lack of an acceptance speech at the show's grand finale was also criticized by many viewers as anti-climactic. He was asleep at his home in Wales when his name was called out, the veteran actor's agent later revealed.
'At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't,' Hopkins said in video posted to his Instagram page from Wales on Monday morning.
'I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman who was taken from us far too early,' he added, referring to the late 'Black Panther' star who had been expected to win best actor for his final role in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.'
Director Travon Free turned his Oscars acceptance speech into a condemnation of police killings during the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night. Earlier, as he walked the red carpet, Free also made a political statement, showing off the inside of his jacket which was emblazoned with the names of black people killed by police, including Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Rayshard Brooks and Daunte Wright
Actor Daniel Kaluuya, who won best supporting actor for Judas and the Black Messiah, poses alongside musicians Dernst Emile II, H.E.R., and Tiara Thomas who won the Oscar for best original song which featured in the film
King set the tone for the evening early on by speaking about the Derek Chauvin verdict.
The 50-year-old said: 'It has been quite a year, and we are still smack dab in the middle of it. We are mourning the loss of so many.
'And I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots.
'Now, I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you. But as a mother of a black son, I know the fear that so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes. That okay?'
Meanwhile, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson also spoke about identity politics as they accepted the award for Oscar for Best Hair and Makeup.
Neal and Wilson are the first two black women to win the award, with Neal speaking out about breaking barriers as she took to the podium.
Stars of the film Minari, including Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, relax after the award ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday
Mia Neal, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, and Jamika Wilson, winners of the Makeup and Hairstyling award for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom share a moment of emotion backstage at the Oscars
Reese Witherspoon poses backstage during the Oscars ceremony at Union Station in Los Angeles on Sunday night
'I want to say thank you to our ancestors who put the work in. Who were denied but never gave up. And I also stand here, as we break this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future,' she stated to cheers from the crowd.
'Because I can picture black trans women standing up here, Asian and Latina sisters, and indigenous women. And it won't be unusual or groundbreaking one day, it will just be normal'.
Meanwhile, director Travon Free turned his Oscars acceptance speech into a condemnation of police killings.
The 35-year-old won Best Live Action Short along with co-director Martin Desmond Roe for their drama Two Distant Strangers - a 29-minute movie that examines the deaths of black Americans during encounters with police.
'Today, the police will kill three people,' Free stated as he took to the stage to accept his award. 'Tomorrow, the police will kill three people. And the day after that, the police will kill three people. Because on average, the police in America every day kill three people. Which amounts to about 1,000 people a year. '
He continued: 'Those people happen to be disproportionately black people. I just ask that you please not be indifferent. Please don't be indifferent to our pain.
Earlier, as he walked the red carpet, Free also made a political statement, showing off the inside of his jacket which was emblazoned with the names of black people killed by police, including Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Rayshard Brooks and Daunte Wright.
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