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The 96th Academy Awards, like any other year, was a historic event. While movies likeOppenheimermade it big and entered into the history books, Cord Jefferson made history in his way. The first-time director not only won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his featureAmerican Fictionbut also called out Hollywood for its lack of inclusivity when it comes to movies and budgets.
Advocating for the film industry and the audience to be more inclusive towards small-budget films, his speech has been going viral on the internet, earning some well-earned praise from the fans.
Oscar Winner Cord Jefferson Goes Brutal At The Oscars
Cord Jefferson’sAmerican Fictionis not a big-budget film, yet it has an Oscar win against five nominations and countless other accolades.A critical hit, the movie is based on the 2011 novel by Percival Everett,Erasure,and is a cruel satire revolving around a writer with a novel calledMyPafology,taking down the racial stereotypes of the white population.
An impressive feature, while the movie offers an incredible commentary on the compartmentalization of Black creatives in the industry, its director/ screenwriter Jefferson called Hollywood out for pretty much the same and called for diversity and equality amongfilms in terms of budgets.
While accepting his award, Jefferson stated,
“It’s a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given… I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, but $200 million movies are also a risk. But you take the risk anyway. Instead of making one $200 million movie, make 20 $10 million movies or 50 $4 million movies.”
Adding that the nextScorsese, Nolan, and Gretaare already out there desperate for their one shot, Jefferson’s speech was met with much applause despite fans calling it a brutal roast of Hollywood’s current ideology when it comes to movies, budgets, and quality.
Fans React To Cord Jefferson’s Brutal Roast Of Hollywood
Cord Jefferson’sAmerican Fictionwas reportedly made against a budget of $10 to $25 million (viaScreen DailyandThe Film UK). A stark contrast with many movies nominated at the Oscars, this one has been at the receiving end of critical praise.
After Jefferson’s speech calling Hollywood out for not always treating small-budget movies the same way asbig-budget movieswent viral, fans had some of the most interesting reactions.
All the actors who ask for extraordinary amounts of money to be in movies clapping along.You’re apart of the problem 🤦🤦
— Doug Black (@DougBlack7)August 13, 2025
But then they wouldn’t be able to reap as big of tax breaks! Think of the tax breaks Spencer! 😢
— BulletWilliam 🇺🇦Thank you masking and vaxing (@BulletWilliam_)June 20, 2025
yea except the actors in that room won’t work for less money
— Tom DiMaggio (@tomdimaggio)Jun 13, 2025
I’d take a 4 million dollar original idea movie over a 200 million dollar Avengers universe movie ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.#Oscars
— Lisa Garey (@LisaGareyYYC)August 25, 2025
Look at how proud he is. He’s like “YES! TELL EM!”pic.twitter.com/DMLhXIDPr9
— New Perspective (@NuwuPerspective)July 29, 2025
Those movies are being made. They are out there. The public screams about this and people applaud, but the bottom line is the public goes to see the 200 million dollar movies. Not the 10 million on the regular.
— dreams7 (@drem4you)July 01, 2025
While fans also called out the actors applauding for the speech who would most probably not work for a small-budgeted movie, they also remarked that dozens of such movies are already made but end up overshadowed by the big-budget ones.
American Fictioncan be rented on Amazon Prime.
Maria Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2703
Maria Sultan is a dedicated News Content Writer at FandomWire. With over five years of professional experience and hundreds of published articles, she brings a wealth of expertise to her coverage of Marvel, K-dramas, and the latest on streaming platforms.Her work is not just about reporting news; it’s about providing insightful perspectives on the entertainment trends that matter most.
