If you didn’t know, on yesterday Jada Pinkett Smith posted a message stating that she would not be attending the February 28 ceremony. The Oscars have drawn criticism after an all-white slate of major nominees was announced Thursday for the second year in a row. Although we haven’t heard much from other black celebrities, with the exception of Spike Lee who is boycotting the Oscars, but is one actress who has something to say about Jada Pinkett’s announcement. Check out what BET is reporting about actress Janet Hubert’s reaction!
Former Fresh Prince of Bel Air actress Janet Hubert continued to prove there’s no love lost between her and her co-star by posting a message on social media about Jada Pinkett Smith’s call for Black actors and actresses to boycott the upcoming Academy Awards. In a video posted to Facebook, Hubert rips both Will and Jada for being self-interested and, “part of the system that is unfair.”
Following the release of nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards, in which Will Smith was excluded from for his role in the football drama Concussion, Pinkett Smith shared her disappointment that this year’s nominations didn’t include any people of color. In a video blog, Pinkett Smith says, “Begging for acknowledgement or even asking [to be nominated] diminishes dignity…So let’s let the Academy do them with all the grace and love and let’s do us differently.”While many have been praising Jada for speaking out, Hubert had the opposite reaction. “Today being the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and hitting sixty years old, I’m at the point where I just don’t give a kitty,” she began her rant. She then asks Jada, “Does your man not have a mouth of his own with which to speak?”
Hubert goes on to say, “there’s a lot of s*** going on in the world that you all don’t seem to recognize. People are dying; our boys are being shot left and right. People are hungry, starving, people are trying to pay bills. And you’re talking about some mother******* actors, and Oscars. And it just ain’t that deep.” She then points out that for Smith to ask other actors to “jeopardize their career, and their standing in a town, that you know damn well, you don’t do that!”
She then claims the only reason the Smiths called for a boycott was because Will Smith did not receive a nomination for Concussion — and, according to her, he didn’t deserve one. “You know, there are those out there that really did deserve a nod. Idris Elba was one of them…that man is an incredible actor. You are not! Maybe you didn’t deserve a nomination,” she ranted. “Just because the world doesn’t go the way you want it to go doesn’t mean you can go out and ask people to stand up and sing ‘We Can Overcome’ for you.”
Check out the video and tell us what you think.
