Right-Wing Media's Outraged Reactions To The Oscars

Written by Olivia Marshall

Published

Conservative media figures reacted with outrage to the February 22 Academy Awards ceremony, including one actress's call for gender pay equality.

Oscar Winner Calls For Gender Pay Equity During Acceptance Speech

Arquette

Huffington Post: Best Supporting Actress Winner Patricia Arquette Makes “Impassioned Plea For Wage Equality.” During her Oscar acceptance speech after winning Best Supporting Actress, Patricia Arquette stated, “It's our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America.” [Huffington Post, 2/22/15]

Conservatives React With Outrage, Dismiss Arquette's Claim

Fox' Gutfeld: ISIS Is Raping Women While Hollywood Talks Wage Equality. Fox host Greg Gutfeld responded to actress Patricia Arquette's call for gender pay equality during her Oscar acceptance speech by pointing to the terrorist group Islamic State's (also known as ISIS) treatment of women:

[Twitter.com, 2/22/15]

Fox Host Stacey Dash: “Patricia Arquette Needs To Do Her History” On Wage Gap. Clueless star and current Fox host Stacey Dash said she was “appalled” by Patricia Arquette's call for wage equality during her acceptance speech, suggesting Arquette “do her history”:

DASH: I was appalled. I could not believe it. I mean, first of all, Patricia Arquette needs to do her history. In 1963, Kennedy passed an equal pay law. It's still in effect. I didn't get the memo that I didn't have any rights. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/23/15]

CNN's Cupp Criticizes Actress For Gender Pay Equality Comments. CNN's S.E. Cupp criticized Arquette for mentioning gender pay equality in her Oscar acceptance speech:

[Twitter.com, 2/22/15]

Fox Host: Arquette Shouldn't Have Talked About Income Equality When Her “Dress Costs $3,000.” On the February 23 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered, guest co-host Jesse Watters criticized Arquette for discussing income inequality when her “dress costs $3,000.” Co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle agreed, asserting that it was a “reckless, self-serving, irresponsible statement.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 2/23/15]

Dana Loesch Lampoons Arquette's Plea For Pay Equality. The Blaze's Dana Loesch responded sarcastically to Arquette's call for gender wage equality:

[Twitter.com, 2/22/15; 2/22/15]

Ingraham Complains “There Was No Mention Of Islam As An Enemy Of Women” During Ceremony. Laura Ingraham complained on her February 23 radio show that there was too much focus on wage equality but “not a peep” about the dangers of Islam to women, gays, Jews, and other minorities during the awards ceremony:

INGRAHAM: You'll make references [...] to illegal immigration, to the evil government keeping out Mexicans, to the evil, implicitly robber barons who want to take money away from women and give disparate treatment to women over men in the workplace. But not a peep about what Islam does to the artistic world, in the creative world, to those who disagree. [Courtside Entertainment Group, The Laura Ingraham Show, 2/23/15] 

Trump: “Ridiculous” Best Director Winner Is Mexican. Joining the Fox & Friends hosts by phone on February 23, Donald Trump weighed in on director Alejandro González Iñárritu's multiple wins for Birdman. Trump lamented that “there was a lot of conservative hatred” and suggested it was “ridiculous” that a director of Mexican descent won multiple awards:

TRUMP: There was a lot of conservative hatred there. There's no question about that. I haven't seen any conservatives get up lately and start ranting and raving.

[...]

TRUMP: Well, it was a great night for Mexico, as usual. You know, this country, the whole thing is ridiculous. It was a great night -- and very unexpected -- a great night for Mexico. This guy kept getting up and up and up. I said, you know, “What's he doing? He's walking away with all the gold.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/23/15]