Donald Trump criticized the 2021 Oscars amid record-low ratings in a statement on Tuesday.- He suggested referring to the show exclusively as the Academy Awards and hiring a host.
- Trump said the "politically correct," "boring" show should revert to its old "formula."
Donald Trump criticized the 93rd annual Academy Awards in a statement released on Tuesday, proposing numerous methods to improve the award show after it received record-breaking low ratings.
The former president's suggestions included dropping the term "Oscars" and referring to the award show exclusively as the Academy Awards, hiring a charismatic host, and making the show less "politically correct and boring."
"What used to be called The Academy Awards, and now is called the 'Oscars' - a far less important and elegant name - had the lowest Television Ratings in recorded history, even much lower than last year, which set another record low," the statement from the former president begins.
It continues, "If they keep with the current ridiculous formula, it will only get worse-if that's possible. Go back 15 years, look at the formula they then used, change the name back to THE ACADEMY AWARDS, don't be so politically correct and boring, and do it right. ALSO, BRING BACK A GREAT HOST."
Trump ended the statement by saying that "television people" use the Oscars to "promote" the Democratic Party and "cancel Conservatives and Republicans."
The Oscars, which aired on Sunday from Los Angeles' Union Station and the Dolby Theatre without a host for a third consecutive year, drew an audience of 10.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
There has been a steady dip in viewership in recent years, but Deadline's Dominic Patten reports that this year's show was both the least-watched and lowest-rated Academy Awards ceremony in history.
Throughout the show, several figures spoke about racial inequality and police brutality. Regina King opened the evening by mentioning the Derek Chauvin verdict, while Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe wore jackets featuring the names of Black individuals killed by the police, including Duante Wright and Tamir Rice.
Trump wasn't the only conservative pundit that felt Sunday's show was too "politically correct." Fox News host Tomi Lahren dedicated time to bash the Oscars the following day.
"I, for one, had and have no desire to watch these Trump-deranged Hollywood Liberals grandstand on their soapboxes with useless and bogus virtue signaling," she said during a segment on "Final Thoughts."
-Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) April 27, 2021
Prior to releasing his statement on Tuesday, Trump has been a vocal critic of Hollywood's biggest award show.
After Bong-Joon Ho's "Parasite" became the first non-English language film in history win best picture in 2020, he mocked the South Korean movie during one of his political rallies.
"The winner is a movie from South Korea! What the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year. Was it good? I don't know," he said.
Trump added, "Can we get 'Gone With the Wind' back, please?"
-Claudia Koerner (@ClaudiaKoerner) February 21, 2020
"Gone With the Wind," a film that won best picture in 1940, has since been reexamined for its "racist depictions" of the antebellum South.
The movie was temporarily pulled from HBO Max in 2020 after the "12 Years a Slave" screenwriter John Ridley penned an essay in the Los Angeles Times about the "painful stereotypes" perpetuated in the movie.
HBO Max readded the film to its platform weeks later with additional videos adding historical context.