Entertainment

Better Midler Sums Up The Oscars Perfectly

by Rachel Simon

Over the last couple of months, there have been countless jokes made about the 2016 Oscars' lack of diversity, but the best one yet comes from someone you might not expect. None other than Bette Midler made the perfect joke about #OscarsSoWhite, posting a tweet on Sunday, the day of the awards, that's already amassed over 17,000 retweets and even more favorites. Wrote the beloved actor,

"The Oscars are today! You know, the awards show where Leonardo DiCaprio is "overdue" but black people can "wait till next year."

Oof. It's a rough joke, but an all-too-necessary one, considering the controversy that's occurred regarding the lack of black actors nominated for 2016 Academy Awards and all the hype that's surrounded DiCaprio's likely win. It's great that there's been so much conversation about diversity in awards shows, but it feels like there's been even more talk about DiCaprio possibly winning his first Oscar. Midler, even while joking, makes a good point; it's fine to root for DiCaprio and lament that he hasn't yet won a statue, but there are far more pressing issues surrounding this year's ceremony that shouldn't get forgotten or ignored. With one tweet, she summed up the Oscars perfectly.

And leave it to Midler to make it into a must-retweet kind of joke. The star is always a welcome presence on Twitter, whether she's tweeting her political opinions, making fun of the Kardashians, or posting throwbacks to her earlier acting days (those Hocus Pocus #tbts are always the best). It's no surprise that she's on her A-game even when talking about the Oscars, and as a result, is responsible for one of the best (if saddest) tweets of the night.