Bill Maher Calls for End to Oscars Diversity Debate
Comedian Bill Maher has declared it is time to move on from the Oscars' diversity complaints, arguing that the #OscarsSoWhite campaign has successfully achieved its objectives. The 70-year-old host made these remarks on his HBO show Real Time, addressing the tenth anniversary of the movement that began in 2015.
Celebrating Diversity Wins
Maher told his audience that Oscars attendees should wear a ribbon stating 'we won,' emphasizing that significant progress has been made. He highlighted that eight of the last ten Best Director prizes have been won by underrepresented groups, along with 60 percent of honorary awards. 'The Oscars are no longer a long, boring show full of white people. It's a long, boring show full of all people,' Maher quipped.
He mentioned several diverse actors who have won in recent years, including Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez in 2025 and Ke Huy Quan for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023. Maher also noted landmark wins such as Moonlight in 2017, the first LGBT+ film to win Best Picture; The Shape of Water in 2018; and CODA in 2022, the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to win the top award.
Criticism of New Academy Rules
Maher lamented the Academy's recent changes to nomination rules, which require films to have a certain percentage of diverse cast and crew to be eligible for Best Picture. He argued that critically acclaimed films like Titanic, Braveheart, or Amadeus would no longer meet the criteria under these guidelines. 'Apollo 13 was about a bunch of white people because white people have done some stuff,' Maher stated, questioning the necessity of such rules.
The comedian criticized the requirement that at least 30 percent of cast and crew must be from two underrepresented groups, though he acknowledged alternative pathways for nomination. He pointed to this year's most nominated film, Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan, which broke Titanic's record for Oscar nominations, saying it 'doesn't need affirmative action.' Maher added, 'Neither did Parasite or Shape of Water.'
Hollywood's Fear of Appearing Racist
Maher argued that Hollywood is not a 'secret cabal of racists' but rather a 'secret cabal of people terrified of looking like racists.' He expressed frustration with social justice warriors who, in his view, continue to gaslight the public despite evident progress. 'I'm just tired of no matter how much progress is made, social justice warriors feeling the need to gaslight us as if none of it had happened,' he said.
He insisted that Academy voters do not consider race when making selections, joking that no member would vote for Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme solely because he is white. Maher also humorously suggested that the hashtag should be changed to #OscarsSoWrong, criticizing the Academy's judgment over time.
Background of #OscarsSoWhite
The #OscarsSoWhite campaign was initiated by April Reign, a former lawyer-turned-editor, in 2015 as a hashtag response to the lack of diversity among Oscar nominees. Her tweet, 'Oscars so white they ask to touch my hair,' went viral and gained traction in 2016 when all 20 acting nominations excluded people of color. Maher honored this anniversary but maintained that the movement's goals have now been met, urging a shift in focus.
