In a twist as predictable as a Hollywood sequel, conservative media and alt-right commentators have made it their mission to ridicule the entertainment industry’s awards circuit. It’s an annual ritual from the Oscars to the Emmys and the Grammys: commentators use YouTube, podcasts and op-eds to denounce Hollywood as a “cesspool of liberalism” and a “bubble of elite self-congratulation.” Yet here’s the irony — many of these same voices, who openly deride the industry, quickly seek its validation when they enter its arena.
Case in point: conservative media company The Daily Wire recently submitted the satirical documentary “Am I Racist?” featuring Matt Walsh, an anti-transgender commentator, for Oscar consideration (Oh my God! Can you imagine “Emilia Perez” star Karla Sofía Gascón being forced to share the same air as him?). While some observers see this as a “troll” move, Walsh insists otherwise. On X (formerly Twitter), he stated, “Yes, we submitted our film for Academy Award consideration. No, it is not remotely a troll. We have the highest-grossing documentary of the decade. Of course, it should be considered for awards.”
Though the film, directed by Justin Folk, has indeed found financial success, documentaries like Chuan Lu’s “Beijing 2022” and Brett Morgen’s David Bowie doc “Moonage Daydream” outperformed it globally, grossing $22 million and $13 million, respectively. And it’s worth keeping in mind that box office success doesn’t automatically translate to awards recognition — if it did, Marvel Studios would have countless best picture statues by now. The real story here is the apparent contradiction: conservative voices denounce “woke Hollywood,” while actively seeking its approval.
So which is it? Do the Oscars truly lack relevance, or do they need to validate right-wing work to prove its legitimacy?
Going down what can only be described as the dark web, I came across a video of Walsh’s reaction to the Oscars when Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won Best Picture in 2020, the first non-English-language film to achieve the honor. The day after the Oscars, Walsh posted a video titled “The Incredible Heroism of Hollywood.” Despite claiming he only spent “90 seconds” watching the ceremony, he dedicated 30 minutes to critiquing a moment in which Sigourney Weaver declared, “All women are superheroes.” This line struck a nerve. Walsh dismissed it as “utterly vacuous and meaningless” and continued to probe his viewers with pointed questions, such as, “Is Aileen Wuornos a superhero?”
These criticisms are not isolated to Walsh alone. Dinesh D’Souza, another prominent conservative commentator, reacted similarly when his documentaries “2016: Obama’s America” and “Death of a Nation” failed to receive Oscar nominations. D’Souza labeled the snub further evidence of Hollywood’s “liberal bias.” Award recognition is only deemed “a sham” when it doesn’t serve their worldview.
But now, The Daily Wire, co-founded by Ben Shapiro, is also making strides in film production despite spending years lambasting Hollywood as a liberal echo chamber. But we will see them submit their films to various industry competitions, seemingly oblivious to the hypocrisy of seeking approval from an industry they claim to despise. I can’t wait for the year they throw a temper tantrum for losing the Palme d’Or at Cannes!
Their underlying message seems to be: “These awards mean nothing — unless I can win one.”
When conservative commentators clamor for recognition from the same industry they’ve labeled irrelevant, the insincerity garners a Guinness World Record amount of eye rolls. If these awards hold no value, why scramble for affirmation? Perhaps all this complaining suggests a desire to belong to a club they critique — though only on their terms. The annual cycle of disdain and desire is as contrived as the Hollywood stories they mock.
And as award season progresses, if (or when?) “Am I Racist?” doesn’t receive the recognition its backers believe it deserves — or doesn’t appear on Variety’s inevitable “snubs and surprises” list — the outcry will likely follow the same script.
In an era where conservatives champion the rhetoric of former president Donald Trump, perhaps they remember his famous line: “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”
Sorry, baby. You’re not a star.
