Oscar Nominations 2024: Biggest Snubs and Surprises

The Academy Awards are also controversial, but this year sparked some heated debate.

By Michael Hein

The 2024 Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23, and as always they were extremely controversial among film critics, movie buffs and casual viewers alike. The Oscars have made a concerted effort to recognize more blockbusters in recent years, yet many fans still felt that their favorites were snubbed. On the other hand, there were some historic wins to celebrate as well.

Oscar nominees are decided by a vote among the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and in general they all vote within their personal disciplines – actors vote on nominations for actors, directors for directors and so on. That means that no one was snubbed through a concerted effort, but fans will still marvel at the trends visible in these nominations. Many feel that their favorites were unjustly left out, while there are some happy surprises in the lineup this year as well.

The Academy Awards will broadcast live on Sunday, March 10 starting at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. Here's a look at some of the biggest surprises – for better or worse – among the nominees.

Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie

First up, Barbie was trending once again this week when fans saw that Greta Gerwig was not nominated for best director, and Margot Robbie was not nominated for best lead actress for this movie. This was unquestionably one of the most popular and most-talked-about movies of 2023, and while it did earn eight Oscar nominations in total, these two omissions offended some fans.

Many were particularly upset because Ryan Gosling was nominated for best supporting actor for playing Ken, and fans felt that nominating Gosling but not Robbie was an example of the sexism tackled within the movie itself. However, other fans pointed out that Robbie and Gerwig were both recognized for their work when it came to the movie as a whole. Barbie was nominated for best picture and best production design, giving a nod to Robbie's work both as a star and a producer, as well as Gerwig's contributions.

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America Fererra

Fans were overjoyed to see that America Fererra got her first Oscar nomination ever for her role in Barbie, and some even said this was more important to them than Robbie's omission. While Robbie portrayed an anthropomorphized doll, Fererra played a real human character with a touching arc in this movie, and some fans even questioned why she was relegated to best supporting actress rather than a lead.

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The Iron Claw

A few "snubs" that made headlines concern movies that were released after the nomination deadline had passed – in particular, The Iron Claw. This movie hit theaters on Dec. 22, while according to the Academy, the deadline to nominate a movie was Nov. 15. While The Iron Claw was still eligible, it's unlikely that enough voters had seen it in time to to score the nominations that fans felt it deserved. Many at least wanted Zac Efron to be recognized in the best lead actor category.

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Sterling K. Brown

Actor Sterling K. Brown also landed his first Oscar nomination this year for playing Cliff Ellison in American Fiction, to fans' delight. Brown has become a household name over the last few years and has racked up some major awards in the process. Seeing this three-time Emmy winner on the Oscar nominees list has made his fans delighted.

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May December

Fans are disappointed – but generally not surprised – that the cast of May December did not get any nominations. The movie's one and only nomination is in the best original screenplay category, but fans feel that Natalie Portman earned a nod for best lead actress, while Julianne Moore and Charles Melton should have been nominated for best supporting actress and actor, respectively. Since this Netflix original film wasn't shown in many theaters, fans blamed the streaming stigma for these snubs.

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Leonardo DiCaprio & Lily Gladstone

Killers of the Flower Moon came with a mixture of happy surprise and disappointment. On one hand, many fans thought Leonardo DiCaprio deserved a nomination – especially considering his memetic history with the award show. On the other hand, fans were overjoyed to see Lily Gladstone getting recognition and making history.

Gladstone is officially the first Native American woman ever to be nominated in the best lead actress category, and she says it will not stop there. As fans celebrated this moment, she told Entertainment Weekly: "I'm not going to be the last, not by a long shot."

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The Color Purple

Finally, fans were furious that The Color Purple got just one Oscar nomination – given to Danielle Brooks in the best supporting actress category. Brooks already won a Tony for playing this same character, Sofia on Broadway. Brooks told The Hollywood Reporter that she feels some pressure to take home the trophy on behalf of everyone else who worked on this movie.

"No one can do a project by themselves," she said. "I did not get here on my own. I can't act by myself. I'm surely not holding boom mics and picking out costumes and doing choreography on my own. So, I just I just feel like I'm doing this for everybody. I'm hoping that we can garner a win for the efforts of everybody that was a part of this beautiful production."

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