Why Twitter Was Over The 2022 Oscars Before They Even Began

During the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, an interesting choice was made: For the first time in the prestigious award show's history, some of the categories were excluded from the primary telecast (via Deadline). A total of eight categories were left out of the live show, including best makeup and hairstyling, best short film, and more. The Oscars tried to do something similar in 2019, where the plan was to pre-record a few categories and edit them into the broadcast to save time during the live show. However, that didn't come to fruition due to public outcry.

This year, though, the Oscars decided to opt for a shortened program. David Rubin, the President of the Academy, wrote, "After carefully listening to feedback and suggestions from our film community, our network partner, and all those who love the Oscars, it was evident we needed to make some decisions about the broadcast that are in the best interest of the future of our show and our organization," (per Variety). Rubin said that the Academy realized "these kinds of changes can prompt concern about equity," but that they hoped everyone would "understand our goal has been to find a balance in which nominees, winners, members, and viewing audience all have a rewarding show experience."

Despite Rubin's intentions, fans were not happy with the changes this year. Though the omissions were ultimately overshadowed by Will Smith's violent reaction to Chris Rock's joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, the backlash over the Academy's decision was evident on Twitter.

Fans were not happy when they discovered that several of their favorite categories were not going to be televised live during the 94th Academy Awards (per Decider). Many people took to Twitter to share their distaste for what was missed. Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times kept his Twitter followers in the loop during the unaired segments, even recording video for those at home to see. He spotlighted the hair and makeup team behind "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," adding that the leading lady of the film was in the audience of the pre-show to see her team win.

"Jessica Chastain made sure she'd be in the room when her "Eyes of Tammy Faye" team won hair and makeup. You can see her embracing them in this video," wrote Buchanan (via Twitter). Fans sounded off in the comments, saying, "Thank you for recording these! It seems to be the only record we get of what these award winners had to say about their wins!"

Others were not as kind about the exclusion of these awards from the ceremony. When "The Long Goodbye" won for best live-action short, fans were angry they missed the opportunity to watch the acceptance speech (via Indiewire). Author Preeti Chhibber tweeted, "I'm still sad we didn't get to see this full moment celebrated and experienced during the live telecast. RIZ AHMED, ANEIL KARIA OSCAR WINNERS OVER HERE."

Additionally, there were several A-listers who were snubbed by the Oscars this year, making for an overall sour experience compared with previous ceremonies.