*Stephen King is catching some heat for a tweet in response to #OscarsSoWhite2020.
After the list of nominees was announced Monday morning, King joined the online discussion about the lack of diversity, with Cynthia Erivo listed named as the only person of color in the acting categories.
King, an Academy member, explained how he votes on the nominees.
“As a writer, I am allowed to nominate in just 3 categories: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay. For me, the diversity issue–as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway–did not come up. That said…” King wrote. In a follow-up tweet he added,
“…I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong,” he said.
Peep the tweets below.
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As a writer, I am allowed to nominate in just 3 categories: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay. For me, the diversity issue–as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway–did not come up. That said…
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 14, 2020
…I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 14, 2020
The comments didn’t sit well with many of King’s fans, including director Ava DuVernay, who called the acclaimed author’s statement “backward and ignorant” — see below.
When you wake up, meditate, stretch, reach for your phone to check on the world and see a tweet from someone you admire that is so backward and ignorant you want to go back to bed. https://t.co/nPXOeAebkb
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) January 14, 2020
King later noted that artists supporting artists is the “most important task” of artists.
The most important thing we can do as artists and creative people is make sure everyone has the same fair shot, regardless of sex, color, or orientation. Right now such people are badly under-represented, and not only in the arts.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 14, 2020
You can’t win awards if you’re shut out of the game.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 14, 2020
As reported by PEOPLE, author Roxane Gay also responded to King’s tweet, writing “As a fan, this is painful to read from you. It implies that diversity and quality cannot be synonymous. They are not separate things. Quality is everywhere but most industries only believe in quality from one demographic. And now, here you are,” she replied.
Author, N. K. Jemisin, also objected to King’s opinion.
“Damn, Stephen. Damn. I thought you were better than this. It should be obvious that diversity and quality *aren’t separate qualities,* or in opposition to each other — except in the minds of bigots. Damn,” he wrote.
Me when the privilege protectors get exhausted with mansplaining and whitesplaining @StephenKing’s tweets to me and decide to move away from my timeline and get a life. pic.twitter.com/tmfK0nBLGU
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) January 14, 2020
When King caught wind of DuVernay’s comments, he responded by saying he loved her Netflix miniseries “When They See Us.”
DuVernay made clear that this is not the same conversation.
Loved THE SHINING, CARRIE, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (RITA), STAND BY ME (THE BODY).
But this is a different conversation.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) January 14, 2020
The 92nd Annual Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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