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Home • Entertainment

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About
Everett Collection
By Sydney Scott · Updated October 24, 2020

Awards season is upon us!

The Golden Globes will kick things off Sunday, Jan. 7, sending us into overdrive as the best performances of the year take center stage. However, Tiffany Haddish’s recent Golden Globes snub for Girls Trip has gotten us in our feelings about past snubs from major awards organizations. 

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It’s no secret that Hollywood has been devoid of diversity since its beginnings. In 2015 April Reign’s #OscarsSoWhite movement led to change, but people of color have been overlooked countless times for groundbreaking work and performances.

From The Color Purple to Angela Bassett’s turn as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It?, here are some of the biggest snubs we’re still kind of heated about. 

01
Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station

Are you even a person if you didn’t feel gutted by Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of Oscar Grant III? Jordan’s performance deserved recognition from both the Academy and the Golden Globes, but, for some reason, his performance was overlooked by both.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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02
Octavia Spencer – Fruitvale Station

And, while we’re at it, let’s not forget Octavia Spencer’s stunning supporting role as Grant’s mother Wanda. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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03
Michael Clarke Duncan – The Green Mile

We still think about late actor Michael Clarke Duncan’s role as John Coffey, a stand out performance in 1999. While Clarke received nominations, he lost the Oscar to Michael Caine and the Golen Globe award to Tom Cruise. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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04
Will Smith – Ali

Ali had strong competition during the 2002 awards season. So, while we can’t  be completely mad that Smith lost the Best Actor award at the Oscars to Denzel Washington for his role in Training Day, we really wish there were some way for the Academy to acknowledge one of Smith’s best roles. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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05
Pam Grier – Jackie Brown

While the Golden Globes gave Grier recognition for her role in Jackie Brown, the Academy looked over the actress’ performance and decided to go more of a beige route for the 1998 awards. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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06
Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda

Like Smith’s nomination for Ali, we can’t be completely mad that the Academy awarded Best Actor to Jamie Foxx for his role in Ray over Cheadle’s in Hotel Rwanda. Still, the actor’s phenomenal performance is one we wish would have been awarded. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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07
Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation

The film may not have been perfect, but Elba’s performance as the Commandant definitely left us shook. While his performance was recognized by the Golden Globes, the Academy, again, decided to go a more beige route for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role nominations.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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08
Angela Bassett – What’s Love Got To Do With It?

It’s been 25 years since the release of What’s Love Got To Do With It and we’re still upset about Bassett’s loss at the 1994 Academy Awards. A word to Academy voters, Angela still has more exceptional roles to come.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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09
Oprah – The Color Purple

How The Color Purple received 11 Oscar nominations and didn’t win one is beyond us. We’re still heated about this and Oprah’s loss at the 1986 awards. Like Angela Bassett, Oprah has more roles under her belt.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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10
Michael B. Jordan – Creed

Yes, Michael B. Jordan is on this list twice because, ONCE AGAIN, our man was snubbed by the Academy in order to give Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar for crawling around in the woods in The Revenant. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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11
Ryan Coogler – Creed

And, let’s not forget that Creed director Ryan Coogler was also snubbed by the Academy and Golden Globes.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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12
Ava DuVernay – Selma

While Selma earned an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song, DuVernay was snubbed for Best Director. How? We don’t know. Had DuVernay been nominated and won, she would have become the first Black woman to win a directing Oscar. Still, the Golden Globes recognized DuVernay with a nomination during the 2015 awards season, making her the first Black woman to be nominated for directing. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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13
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

Moonlight took home three Oscars during 2017’s award season, but you know which Academy Award the film did not take home? Best Achievement in Directing. Who do we have to fight?

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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14
Gina Prince-Bythewood – Love & Basketball

Gina Prince-Bythewood deserves her flowers for this film. Overlooked by the Academy and Golden Globes, the famed director’s film has become a classic. 

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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15
Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures, one of 2016’s most buzzed about films, only received two nominations from the Golden Globes and three from the Academy during the 2017 awards season, neither of which included a nomination for Taraji P. Henson’s portrayal as Katherine Johnson. How Sway?

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About
16
Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip

While Haddish is too booked and busy to be mad about her Golden Globes snub, we still are and #weready.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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17
Denzel Washington – Malcolm X

Denzel Washington didn’t play Malcolm X, he embodied the man in this 1992 film. Washington was nominated for the Academy Awards’ best actor but lost.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About

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18
The Wiz
Believe it or not, The Wiz starring Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Richard Pryor was majorly snubbed. In 1975 it was nominated for art direction, cinematography, costume design and music Academy Awards —and won none of them.
Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About
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19
Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy is known for being one of the greatest comedians and actors of all time and even won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.But despite his successful body of work he’s never won an Oscar, even after being nominated for his role in Dream Girls.

Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About
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20
Chadwick Boseman – 42
Despite his roles in 42, Get On Up and Marshall, the talent has yet to receive an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination.
Give Them Their Flowers: 20 Award Season Snubs We're Still Salty About
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