When reading out the all-male nominees for the Best Director category alongside actor John Cho, the 'Insecure' star can be heard saying with a straight face, 'Congratulations to those men.'
- Jan 14, 2020
AceShowbiz - Issa Rae made her feelings clear at the lack of female nominees in the Best Director category as she announced the Oscar nominations on Monday (January 13), pointedly offering her congratulations to "those men".
While Greta Gerwig had been expected to land a nomination for helming "Little Women (2019)", she was noticeably absent from the list, with Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Todd Phillips, Sam Mendes and Bong Joon Ho instead set to battle it out for the director prize on 9 February.
And Issa didn't let the moment pass her by as she read out the nominations alongside "Star Trek" actor John Cho, saying, with a straight face: "Congratulations to those men".
"Hustlers" director Lorene Scafaria, "Honey Boy" helmer Alma Har'el and Olivia Wilde, who achieved critical acclaim for her directorial debut "Booksmart", were among the other women who missed out on nominations.
The "Insecure" star's pointed comment was quickly picked up by viewers, many of whom took to social media to praise her for making such a bold move.
"Issa Rae saying 'congratulations to those men' after announcing the Best Director Oscar is the most iconic moment of 2020 so far," one wrote.
"'Congratulations to those men' - says Issa Rae with brilliant shade, announcing the all-male nominees for Best Director in a season that included 'The Farewell', 'Hustlers', 'Little Women (2019)', and 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'," another commented, while a third added, "Issa Rae pointedly saying 'congratulations to those men' after the Best Director noms is a f**king mood #OscarNoms."
Issa's comment comes after Natalie Portman hit headlines when she took to the stage as a presenter at the 2018 Oscars, and introduced the "all-male nominees" for the Best Director gong.
