The 2022 Oscars has certainly become one of the most memorable events of the year, although it’s going down in awards show history for all the wrong reasons. For starters, there was the slap that was practically heard all over the world. And there was Amy Schumer’s co-hosting stint which got criticized several times, including how she dismissed Kirsten Dunst as a seat filler (Dunst was reportedly in on the joke though). And then, there was that awkward moment when Regina King thought it would be a good idea to feel up Jason Momoa onstage.Indeed, it seemed to be a night full of faux pas. Although if one thinks about it, the Oscars’ first faux pas already occurred weeks before the celebrities even made their way to the red carpet. That’s because, despite Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story receiving two Oscar nods (Ariana DeBose later won an Oscar for her performance), it seemed nobody thought to invite its lead actress, Rachel Zegler, to the star-studded event initially.And while it may have been a simple case of oversight, there are signs that this wasn’t really the case. In fact, one may even argue that leaving the actress out of the guest list was purely intentional.
How Fans Found Out That The Oscars Didn’t Invite Rachel Zegler
The whole controversy involving Zegler and the Oscars started out with a simple message exchange on Instagram. In one of Zegler’s posts, a fan had commented, “Can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing on Oscar night.” On response, Zegler revealed. “i'm not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend's flannel.”
Despite not being invited, Zegler didn’t seem to have any bad feelings towards the Academy. In fact, she wrote, “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 3 years ago.”
That said, the actress admitted that she was hoping for a “last minute miracle” to be able to attend the Oscars and join her co-stars.
Following the outrage that ensued after fans learned of Zegler being left out of the Oscars, the Academy reached out to the young star and offered to make her one of the night’s presenters.
Why The Oscars May Not Have Wanted To Invite Rachel Zegler
Zegler may have been able to attend the Oscars in the end, but it seems the event really didn’t want to invite the actress initially. As it turns out though, the committee didn’t necessarily have an issue with Zegler herself. Instead, it was her co-star Ansel Elgort that caused them a lot of concern.
“I agree with you 100 billion percent that they didn’t invite her on purpose because they didn’t want to invite him,” an Oscars voter who wasn’t identified told Daily Beast. “Making her a presenter was an inspired way out.”
It is also worth pointing out that Elgort did not attend the event despite his involvement in Spielberg’s latest movie. And the Academy’s alleged reluctance to invite the actor most likely has something to do with the sexual allegations directed at Elgort in recent years.
It all started in June 2020 when a woman claimed on Twitter that the actor assaulted her back in 2014. At that time, she was only 17 and Elgort was 20.
“I didn’t think he’d ever see my dm I was just a kid and was a fan of him,” she wrote in a now-deleted statement. The user also went on to say that the actor had left her “sobbing in pain” and that she did not want to be intimate with him.
Two other women came forward on Twitter, alleging that Elgort messaged them when they were younger. Among them is a user who the actor had allegedly messaged when she was only 15.
She reportedly went on two dates with Elgort when she turned 16, claiming that the actor knew that was the age of consent in Georgia. “At the age of 16, I was not aware how predatory and creepy this behavior was,” she wrote in a now-deleted statement. “Now as a woman in her 20s, I see this for what it is.”
A couple of similar allegations emerged although Spielberg decided to retain Elgort in the cast. Moreover, the actor only briefly addressed the allegations, saying his relationship with the first accuser was “brief, legal, and entirely consensual.”
As for Zegler, the actress seems to have remained supportive of her co-star the entire time. In fact, back in 2019, she even posted a since-deleted tweet that read, “Happy wrap mi amor; catch ya on a fire escape sometime soon.”
The actress reportedly decided to delete her message after fans accused Zegler of trying to break up Elgort and girlfriend Violetta Komyshan.
Nonetheless, years after the scandal first broke, Zegler is yet to publicly speak out against her co-star. Instead, she offered some words to reflect on.
“We made a movie two and a half years ago, and a lot has gone on in the world since then. A lot has changed very publicly, and privately as well,” the actress said in an interview. “There’s been a lot of awakening. You just hope that the people involved are OK, that they are asked in a respectful manner and that they are given the opportunity to answer for themselves.”
Meanwhile, after getting cast in an Oscar-winning film by Spielberg, it almost seems like anything is possible for Zegler. In fact, the actress will already next appear alongside Dwayne Johnson in Shazam!. Zegler is also set to star as the titular character in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Snow White. An Oscars invite may just be in her future.