Elon Musk Slams Oscars 2025 Diversity Standards: “Messed Up”

“This is messed up. Should just be who is best, not best with an asterisk!” Musk wrote on X

The Oscars 2025 ceremony held at the famed Dolby Theatre venue in Los Angeles has not gone down well with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Musk slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on the “Representation and Inclusion Standards” arguing that the nominations in categories like Best Picture and acting should be based purely on merit and not influenced by diversity quotas.

The nominations should be based solely on merit, he said.

“This is messed up. Should just be who is best, not best with an asterisk!” Musk wrote on X.

The Academy’s “Representation and Inclusion Standards,” introduced in 2020, are a set of guidelines that aim to promote equitable representation in Hollywood by requiring films to include cast and crew members from underrepresented racial, ethnic, gender, and disability groups to be eligible for the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards.

It essentially pushes for more diversity on and offscreen.

According to the Academy’s official guidelines, at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors in a Best Picture-nominated film must be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These groups include African American, Hispanic, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Pacific Islander communities.

Additionally, for ensemble casts, at least 30 per cent of the actors in secondary or minor roles must come from at least two underrepresented groups, which also include women, the LGBTQ community, and people with cognitive or physical disabilities.

Meanwhile, the 97th Academy Awards held on Sunday night saw Anora, a dramedy about a sex worker who marries the pampered son of a Russian oligarch, triumphing with five wins.

Sean Baker, the maverick behind Anora, was recognized for producing, directing, editing and writing the film’s screenplay, becoming the first person to win four Oscars for the same movie, as per Variety.

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) and Mikey Madison (Anora) took home the top acting honors. Brody, a previous winner for The Pianist, played a brilliant, but troubled architect, while Madison bagged the trophy for her portrayal of an exotic dancer under pressure to get an annulment from her rich husband.