Oscars 2022: Academy Ridiculed for Bizarre Presenters Slate

The lead-up to the 94th Academy Awards was filled with plenty of head-scratching moments, from the decision to not air eight categories live to Rachel Zegler needing an online push just to get invited as a presenter. One of the more bizarre moments came last week when the Academy announced a slate of Oscars presenters who are not from the film industry. The announcement was widely ridiculed online and will lead to more confusing comments during the broadcast.

On March 21, the Academy's fifth slate of presenters included actors Stephanie Beatriz, Jennifer Garner, Tiffany Haddish, Bill Murray, and Elliot Page. H.E.R., who won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah, was also on the list. However, it also included surfer Kelly Slater, Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, and skateboarder Tony Hawk. They might be legends of their fields, but those fields are far from celluloid. DJ Khaled is also set to present, even though he doesn't have any Oscar nominations on his resume.

Thankfully, many of the other presenters taking the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood are involved with movies. Zegler, who starred in the Best Picture nominee West Side Story, will be there as a presenter after all. Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin were picked to present the eight Oscars that will be handed out during the hour before the live broadcast starts. Three-fourths of last year's acting winners – Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Kaluuya, and Youn Yuh-jung – are also presenting tonight. (Frances McDormand is not among this year's presenters, so it's not known who will present Best Actor.)