Rachel Zegler Surprised by Oscars Snub Backlash

West Side Story star Rachel Zegler was surprised by the immediate outrage that sprung from her messages about not being invited to the 94th Academy Awards. Zegler was invited after all, and she was picked to present Best Visual Effects with Euphoria star Jacob Elordi. The actress was working on Disney’s new Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs live-action remake in London, which was the reason why she wasn’t expected to be at the Oscars.

“People were upset and I was not expecting it so it’s very wonderful to be here,” Zegler told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet. “I’m really thankful to the Academy for asking me to present and everyone at Snow White who was able to just let me get on a plane.”

View on X

Zegler has no idea who pulled the strings to get her to Los Angeles, and she has no interest in finding out, she said. “I kind of just let it all… the chips go where they did because I was really overwhelmed with the response to it because it was a comment I made on my own Instagram post,” Zegler said. “You don’t really expect that to make the news the next day… and it was just a statement… but we’re here, we’re happy, we’re really thankful.”

When Zegler took the stage with Elordi, he mentioned how he never thought he’d be at the Oscars while growing up in Australia. “I never thought I would be here…six days ago. Dreams do come true. Pretty fast, in fact,” Zegler joked.

Zegler began the Internet firestorm back on March 19, when she posted a series of photos, including pictures from the BAFTA Awards. “Can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing on Oscar night,” one fan wrote. “I’m not invited, so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel,” Zegler replied. The actress later explained that unless a “last-minute miracle occurs,” she would be rooting for her West Side Story family from her home. This led to an outpouring of support from fans and even some Hollywood stars.

The reason for Zegler’s snub was thought to be her commitment to Snow White. She was not personally nominated for West Side Story, so it would have been up to Disney to allocate a ticket for her. However, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the Snow White production schedule was tweaked so Zegler could get to Hollywood.

“well folks, I can’t believe I’m saying this but… see you on Sunday,” Zegler tweeted on March 23.”The absolutely incredible team at [Disney] and our Snow White producers worked some real-life magic, and I am thrilled to be able to celebrate my [West Side Story] fam at the Oscars.”