UPDATE: Spike Lee clarified his comments in a January 20 interview on "Good Morning America," saying he's not calling for a mass Oscars boycott, he was just announcing his own plans to skip the show: "Here's the thing, I have never used the word boycott. All I said was my beautiful wife Tanya...we're not coming. That's it, and I gave the reasons. ... February 28th, we'll be at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. I'm going to a Knicks game." He reiterated that he's not telling anyone else what to do. "Do you. I'm not going. My wife's not going. Everyone else can do what they want to do."

Original post:

"Chi-Raq" director Spike Lee announced today -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day -- that he and his wife will not be attending the 2016 Oscars, due to the lack of any non-white acting nominees for the second year in a row. Lee started his Instagram post by thanking the Academy for his own honorary Oscar, given just this past November at the Governors Awards, but said it's time to take a stand.

The Academy Award nominations were announced on January 14, and immediately revived the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag commenting on the lack of diversity in the nominations.

Here's Lee's full post, which also uses the hashtag:

#OscarsSoWhite... Again. I Would Like To Thank President Cheryl Boone Isaacs And The Board Of Governors Of The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences For Awarding Me an Honorary Oscar This Past November. I Am Most Appreciative. However My Wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee And I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February. We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let's Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can't Act?! WTF!! It's No Coincidence I'm Writing This As We Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. Dr. King Said "There Comes A Time When One Must Take A Position That Is Neither Safe, Nor Politic, Nor Popular But He Must Take It Because Conscience Tells Him It's Right". For Too Many Years When The Oscars Nominations Are Revealed, My Office Phone Rings Off The Hook With The Media Asking Me My Opinion About The Lack Of African-Americans And This Year Was No Different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot. If Someone Has Addressed This And I Missed It Then I Stand Mistaken. As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The "Real" Battle Is. It's In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To "Turnaround" Or Scrap Heap. This Is What's Important. The Gate Keepers. Those With "The Green Light" Vote. As The Great Actor Leslie Odom Jr. Sings And Dances In The Game Changing Broadway Musical HAMILTON, "I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS". People, The Truth Is We Ain't In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White. (Cont'd)

A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on


Jada Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith was overlooked for "Concussion," tweeted her frustration on January 16, and also suggested people of color consider refraining from participating at the Oscars:


The 88th Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 28 on ABC, hosted by Chris Rock.

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