The Real Reason Fans Are Furious About The Oscars Red Carpet

Look back at pictures for the 2021 Oscars red carpet, and without a timestamp, you'd be hard-pressed to pinpoint the event as smack-dab in the middle of a global pandemic. Unlike other awards shows held during COVID-19, the Oscars was an in-person event. Only 170 people got to watch nominees and presenters preen in front of cameras, live, at Union Station in Los Angeles, California, according to Los Angeles Times. Most of the show's audience members were plus ones. But that didn't stop Hollywood's nominated actors and actresses from turning up in serious style.

Best actress nominee Viola Davis was an early crowd-pleaser on Twitter, wowing Vogue with her gorgeous, white Alexander McQueen dress, and stunning Variety with her impromptu, pantomime performance of taking a shot. Best supporting actress nominee Amanda Seyfried took our breath away in a strapless, deep cut, old-Hollywood red, Armani gown (via People). It should have, would have, could have been easy to be carried away by the glitz and glamor of the night, had one thing not been glaringly obvious. No one seemed to be wearing a face mask.  

According to Los Angeles Times, every single person at the 2021 Oscars was tested before attending the awards ceremony. More than that, producers promised to treat the event "as an active movie set, with specially designed testing cadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site COVID safety team with PCR testing capability." As meticulous as the award ceremony's organizers may have been, Twitter doesn't think the Oscars' no-masks-required policy was a good look. 

"Now is everybody at the red carpet fully vaccinated like why the hell does nobody have a mask on?" asked one, miffed viewer via tweet. "Anyone else feeling unsettled watching the coverage?" asked another. "Seeing people milling about, the vast majority without masks, and then seeing the interviewers stand far apart from who they're interviewing (also unmasked) just feels disingenuous." A third chimed in: "Why is there no mask mandate at the Oscars? People mingling and being interviewed with no masks but us ordinary people would be vilified for the same thing!!"

As per Los Angeles Times, the show's attendees weren't required to put face masks on while they're in front of cameras. They were, however, asked to do so during commercial breaks.