Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis Oscars Snubs Prompt Disappointment Over Lack of Black Winners

The Academy Awards 2021 proved joyous for Nomadland which netted Oscars for its Director Chloe Zhao and Best Actress Frances McDormand—but there was a huge upset for Black actors as both Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis were snubbed for their roles in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

In an ending that is being compared to the La La Land/Moonlight fiasco of the 2017 ceremony, the award for Best Actor was held until the very end resulting in a huge anti-climax when an absent Anthony Hopkins was named the winner for The Father instead of the late Boseman who has been posthumously nominated after his death at the age of 43.

Meanwhile, many had expected Davis to take home the trophy for Best Actress but she lost out to McDormand who also beat Andra Day for her role in The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Many on Twitter have been calling the Oscars 2021 ending the "worst TV ending since Game of Thrones" as a result.

"They build the entire show around a Chadwick Boseman ending and then Anthony Hopkins won and didn't show up," tweeted Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times.

While journalist Spencer Althouse added: "The Oscars were so sure that Chadwick Boseman was going to win that they REARRANGED THE ENTIRE CEREMONY so his category could be last, and then they gave the award to Anthony Hopkins instead...the most chaotic and unhinged thing I've ever seen."

Others have labeled the abrupt ending "chaotic" with Jacob Hall tweeting: "An absent Anthony Hopkins winning over Chadwick Boseman during a ceremony built to end around a Boseman win while Joaquin Phoenix awkwardly stumbles through it all is...wow. Chaos!"

Another person added: "halle berry remains the only black woman to win an oscar for best actress in a leading role... no angela bassett, no viola davis, no octavia spencer, no lupita nyong'o..."

MSNBC host Joy Reid said that Boseman and Davis' sunbs made for a "disappointing ending to what otherwise was an inspiring #Oscars - Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis and Andra Day were obvious candidates for the win."
While Ernest Owens lamented what could have been a historic night for Davis and Black actresses.

"Viola Davis could have been second Black woman to ever win the Oscar for Best Actress, could have been the most awarded Black actress in Oscars history!" he tweeted. "She could have been the first Black woman to ever win a Best Leading Actress Tony, Oscar, and Emmy...but whiteness."

Despite losses for Boseman and Davis, British actor Daniel Kaluuya took home the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Black Panther chair Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.