Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'West Side Story' Star Rachel Zegler Says She Wasn't Invited To The Oscars—And Fans Are Pissed

'West Side Story' Star Rachel Zegler Says She Wasn't Invited To The Oscars—And Fans Are Pissed
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/Getty Images

We all fell in love with a girl named Maria, so why wasn't she invited to the party?

Musical theatre buffs just died a little bit inside because of that corny lyrical reference but just breathe your way through that.


Musical metaphors—while awful—are forgivable compared to the slight actress Rachel Zegler was dealt after her game-changing turn in the role of Maria in West Side Story.

Despite being one of the stars of one of the night's most nominated films—Steven Spielberg's reimagining of West Side Story is up for a total of seven awards at the 94th Academy Awards—Rachel Zegler, who fans adored as Maria, was not invited.

Rachel confirmed the rumors of her snub to her fans quietly—not with a press statement or social media post—but by responding to a comment.

Here's a screenshot of it.

@prlatina44/Twitter

It read:

"Idk y’all, I have tried it all, but it doesn’t seem to be happening :') I will root for 'West Side Story' from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did three years ago."
"I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person, but hey, that’s how it goes sometimes, I guess."
"Thanks for all the shock and outrage – I’m disappointed too."
"But that’s okay. So proud of our movie.”

This made zero sense to people.








As confusing as the choice not to invite Zegler is, it's not the only thing about this year's Oscars people are struggling with.

Besides adjustments for reduced capacity, the Academy Awards are making a few other changes in an attempt to "shake things up" a bit. This year's list of presenters features names like Tony Hawk and DJ Khaled—both of whom people argued were way less relevant than Rachel Zegler.

Also, this year's Oscars will feature about a third less awards presented during the live show. The awards will still be given—the winners just won't get to do the whole walk, speech, applause on live TV thing.

Instead, their wins will be taped an hour earlier and "peppered in" throughout the broadcast.

The awards that won't get that moment are mostly technical ones, which is another interesting choice given the current tensions, protests, and strikes over industry mistreatment of film crews.

Zegler expressed her gratitude to the fans rallying around her.



According to one outlet, Zegler could still go if someone gave her a guest ticket, if Disney gives one of their tickets to her or if the Academy itself gave her one.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Michael Fishman
@reelmfishman/Instagram

'Roseanne' Star Urges 'Compassion' With Wake-Up Call Video About Who Actually Uses SNAP Benefits

Michael Fishman, the 44-year-old actor, writer, producer, and director who started playing the character of DJ Connor on the 1980s sitcom Roseanne at just 6 years old, took to his social media recently to counter the narrative being pushed by conservative talking heads like Matt Walsh about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Drawing on his own on-screen and real life experiences, Fishman called for compassion instead of judgment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zohran Mamdani; Screenshot of Elon Musk
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images; The Joe Rogan Experience

Elon Musk Roasted For His Sputtering Explanation For Why Zohran Mamdani Is A 'Swindler'

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he couldn't explain why he believes New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is a "charismatic swindler" and struggled to form a coherent sentence during an appearance on conservative pundit Joe Rogan's podcast.

Musk appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience just before Tuesday's election result, which saw Mamdani, a democratic socialist, beat back the establishment despite months of racist and Islamophobic attacks from the right-wing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tomi Lahren
Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Tomi Lahren Just Warned Democrats Not To Flee To 'Great Red Cities'—And Everyone Had The Same Question

People are raising their eyebrows after conservative influencer Tomi Lahren went viral with a warning for Democrats not to flee to "our great red cities."

Lahren's post came in response to the significant losses Republicans faced around the country following Tuesday's elections.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Explain What Happened To Significant Others Who Cheated And Then Dated Their Affair Partner

Whether we've been cheated on before, most of us hold pretty strong opinions about the people of the world who choose to cheat instead of simply ending the relationship.

But there's a particular ring of treachery reserved for the people who not only get caught having an affair, but who then choose their affair partner over the person they committed to.

Keep ReadingShow less