Oscar-winner Joseph Patel is speaking out against Chris Rock after the comedian introduced him as one of four White guys.
The Indian American received the Oscar for best documentary feature for Summer of Soul along with fellow producers Quest Love, David Dinerstein, and Robert Fyvolent.
Rock announced the winners as “Ahmir Questlove Thompson and four White guys.”
Patel is Indian American and one of three South Asians to win an Oscar Sunday night. The others are Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia in the category of live-action short for The Long Goodbye.
“What I didn’t hear in that moment walking to stage but was told of afterward is what Chris Rock said when reading our name from the winner’s card – The winner is “Summer of Soul…Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and…4 white guys.” WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F—????? The reason that makes me SO SO VERY ANGRY is because I was so proud to be one of a handful of South Asians to have ever won an Oscar in the history of the award,” Patel explained in the blistering thread,” Patel said, reported Bollywood Hungama.
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“I was ecstatic that I was the 3RD South Asian to win that night – after Riz [Ahmed] and Aneil Karia won earlier in the night for [best live action short winner] ‘The Long Goodbye.’ Three South Asians winning on the same night – that’s never happened before! And it’s meaningful! It’s history!”
The incident occurred shortly after Will Smith slapped Rock on stage for his joke about his wife’s hair loss. Jada Pinka Smith lives with a condition known as alopecia.
Patel called Smith’s actions selfish.
“It robbed the category of its moment,” Patel wrote on Twitter. “It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs.”
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