Rev. Sharpton: Call For 'Tune Out' Over Lack Of Diversity Impacted Oscars Ratings
LOS ANGELES (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The 88th Academy Awards brought out Hollywood's biggest stars to recognize excellence in the film industry on Sunday night, but not as many people at home tuned in compared to previous years.
Ratings for this year's ceremony hit an eight-year low, CBS2 reported. The 34.3 million viewers who tuned in represented the smallest audience since 2008.
The Nielsen company said Monday that Oscar viewership was down from the 37.3 million who watched in 2015. In 2014 and 2013, the show reached more than 40 million viewers each year.
On Monday, Rev. Al Sharpton released a statement claiming part of the ratings dip was due to his call for a "tune out" of this year's award show due to the lack of diversity in the nominations.
"The early reports of a decline in the Oscar viewership is heartening to those of us that campaigned around asking citizens to tune out. This is a significant decline and should send a message to the Academy and to movie studio heads," Sharpton said.
More: Read Sharpton's full statement
Though Sharpton said his National Action Network doesn't take full credit for the ratings, he believes the call for a tune out was "part of the decline."
"This is not about actors and actresses getting awards, this is about inclusion and the respect of ticket buyers and viewers who are ordinary struggling American citizens who have been marginalized," Sharpton said.
Critics have said the awards show, with its second consecutive year of all-white acting nominees, has come to embody a diversity crisis in the entertainment industry.
And some of Hollywood's elite, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith and Spike Lee, boycotted the event.
Host Chris Rock came out swinging about the lack of diversity in his highly anticipated monologue.
"You realize if they nominated hosts, I wouldn't even get this job," Rock said.
Rock admitted that he even thought about not hosting.
"I thought about quitting, I thought about it real hard," Rock said. "I realized they're gonna have the Oscars. The last thing I need is to lose a job to Kevin Hart."
The night filled with glitz and glam also brought some predictable winners and some shockers.
Taking home the coveted Best Picture award was "Spotlight," which follows a group of journalists who uncover a sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church, CBS2's Jill Nicolini reported.
Some predicted "Mad Max: Fury Road" would win since it had the most nominations. Though it lost Best Picture, the post-apocalyptic thriller did take home six statuettes.
And after six Academy Award nominations, Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home an Oscar for Best Actor in the survival epic "The Revenant."
DiCaprio used his speech as a platform to talk about climate change.
"I thank you all for this amazing award tonight. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted. Thank you so very much," the actor said.
Brie Larson also picked up her first Oscar for Best Actress in "Room," where she played a woman who was held captive and was sexually abused.
Web Extra: Complete List Of Winners | Photos: 88th Annual Academy Awards
"I feel really strong and excited to be holding this gold guy," said the actress.
Lady Gaga delivered a powerful message by performing her Oscar-nominated song "Till it happens to you." The performance ended with a group of sexual assault survivors showing their arms with the message "Not Your Fault."
One big shocker of the night was Mark Rylance's win for Best Supporting Actor.
"For me to have the chance to work with the greatest story teller of all time, Steven Spielberg, it's such an honor," said Rylance.
Critics say although Rylance delivered a great performance in "Bridge of Spies," many predicted Sylvester Stallone would win for his role in "Creed."
Alicia Vikander took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Danish Girl."
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