❓WHAT HAPPENED: Left-libertarian comedian Bill Maher addressed the tenth anniversary of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, declaring it is time to move on from the diversity complaints surrounding the Oscars.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Bill Maher, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and notable actors such as Ke Huy Quan and Zoe Saldaña.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Maher’s remarks were made during his HBO show Real Time on Friday, March 13, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “You couldn’t make Titanic today and hope to get nominated, or Braveheart, or Amadeus.” – Bill Maher
🎯IMPACT: Maher criticized new Academy rules for Best Picture eligibility and called for an end to ongoing complaints about the Oscars’ diversity, arguing that significant progress has already been achieved.
Comedian Bill Maher, during his HBO show Real Time, marked the tenth anniversary of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign by declaring that it is time to move on from the movement, as its goals have largely been achieved. Maher pointed out that eight of the last ten Best Director awards have gone to individuals from underrepresented groups and that 60 percent of honorary Oscars have also been awarded to such groups.
“Take the win,” Maher told his audience, adding, “The Oscars are no longer a long, boring show full of white people. It’s a long, boring show full of all people.” He highlighted recent diverse winners, including Ke Huy Quan for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023 and Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez in 2025. Maher also referenced films like Moonlight, CODA, and The Shape of Water, which have won major awards in recent years.
WATCH: Lib comedian Bill Maher rips into Hollywood over diversity quotas: "You couldn't make Titanic today and hope to get nominated, or Braveheart, or Amadeus." pic.twitter.com/YToRdQYEjH
— The National Pulse (@TheNatPulse) March 14, 2026
Maher criticized the Academy’s new rules for Best Picture eligibility, which require films to meet specific diversity quotas in casting and crew composition.
“You couldn’t make Titanic today and hope to get nominated, or Braveheart, or Amadeus,” he argued. He also noted that critically acclaimed films like Apollo 13 would not meet the current criteria, stating, “White people have done some stuff.”
Maher dismissed the notion that Hollywood remains biased in favor of white actors, saying, “No Academy member this year filled out their ballot thinking: ‘Well, I didn’t think Timothée Chalamet was very good, but I’ll vote for him because he’s white.'”
He also criticized the Academy for creating rules that he believes amount to “affirmative action” for films, adding, “The whole thing is so Hollywood. A room full of know-nothings who call themselves the Academy, making everyone tremble before their judgment.”
The #OscarsSoWhite campaign began in 2015 as a hashtag from April Reign, a former lawyer-turned-editor, in response to the lack of diversity among nominees. While it gained significant traction online, Maher argued that the campaign’s goals have been realized and that ongoing complaints are unwarranted. He concluded by saying, “Maybe the hashtag should be #OscarsSoWrong.”
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