Justine Bateman Slams DEI Oscar Rules as ‘Insult to Filmmaking’
Hollywood veteran breaks ranks with peers unwilling to criticize woke quotas
Think of the biggest names in Hollywood.
- Spielberg
- Tarantino
- Scorsese
- Villeneuve
- Hanks
- Streep
They have something in common besides enormous talent and industry goodwill. None criticized the Academy Awards for installing diversity quotas for Best Picture nominees.
The rules, which went into effect in 2024, demand movies adhere to select criteria to qualify for Best Picture honors. A film must explore themes related to marginalized communities, for example, or employ crews that include under-represented groups.
No, conservatives and Christians need not apply.
Last year’s “Reagan,” for example, didn’t make the cut. It’s not alone.
Look at the big picture. Demanding diversity quotas on art is anathema to what the Oscars are supposed to represent: The best of the best movies.
Yet only one major Hollywood figure has suggested the rules go against the body’s guiding principles. Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfus said the DEI-style rules “make me vomit” in 2023.
Now, a second person has lashed out at the diversity mandates.
Justine Bateman, the sitcom star turned author and filmmaker, addressed the matter on her X account. A follower asked the “Violet” director her thoughts on the Oscars’ DEI-style rules.
She didn’t mince her words.
It’s an insult to filmmaking. https://t.co/kieT0uDLtc
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) March 8, 2025
“It’s an insult to filmmaking.”
And she’s right.
Now, why can’t the rest of Hollywood say the same? Chances are they’re too afraid to share that point of view, even if they believe it.
Dreyfus’ declaration put a media target on his back. The press has been less than kind to him in recent years.
Coincidence?
Perhaps the stars remember what happened when Stephen King dared to support excellence over diversity. The woke backlash proved fierce, and the horror maestro quickly backpedaled.
Bateman won’t apologize. She’s already defied Hollywood’s progressive mentality by indirectly slamming the Biden administration’s anti-free speech climate. She’s no MAGA warrior, just a free thinker in an industry where that’s increasingly uncommon.
Maybe her declaration will allow other artists to defy the DEI Oscars, too. Courage can be contagious.
Equity: Identify the person who has the least or is the most miserable, and then forcibly drag everybody else down to that level.
D.E.I. = Didn’t Earn It
Why wouldn’t The Oscars be an “insult to filmmaking”…the films are.
It probably doesn’t even matter anymore. I saw none of the movies nominated and haven’t watched the Oscars in a decade. I probably am not alone. Once they are down to a few dozen viewers, does it matter what crap awards they give to each other?
It’s refreshing to see a person in the industry tell the truth, we support you Justine.
DEI and excellent films and excellent acting have nothing to do with one another. I have not watched awards shows in years because only diversity matters, not great film-making. Many past Academy and Oscar winners would not have been chosen under the idiotic diversity rules in place now.
Notice how terrible the movies have been since Woke? DEI stands for mediocrity besides Didn’t Earn It.