Oscars get 34.3 million viewers, lowest rating since 2008

The paucity of minority nominees this year led to calls for a boycott among some black stars, including Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee.

On Facebook, DiCaprio also topped the buzz chart, followed by the “Spotlight” win, Lady Gaga performing best-song nominee “Til It Happens to You” and Alejandro González Iñárritu winning best director for “Revenant“. Have you ever wondered if Leonardo’s seen all those hilarious memes on the Internet?

Tyrese added: “After Chris Rock f***ed my night up talking about my girl Jada, who took the initiative to stand up and make a difference, I’m smiling again because of LEO!” And black people did not protest. Why? In the months before the ceremony, Rock gave numerous hints to the media of his views, so no one should be surprised that the actor and comedian used his time as host to speak on diversity issues plaguing Hollywood.

About 34.3 million people tuned in for the ABC broadcast hosted by Chris Rock, an 8% drop from 37.3 million past year, according to preliminary Nielsen data cited by the network. I thought about it real hard, but I realized they’re going to have the Oscars anyway. The long wait is now over, the talented actor managed to win his first ever Oscar Award after six nominations over a period of 22 years.

Pop-up bios: Short biographies appeared on screen to help viewers know who was on stage and which productions they were affiliated with.

“Why? Because we had real things to protest … we’re too busy being raped and lynched to care about best cinematographer”, he said. “No. It’s a different kind of racist”, Rock said on Sunday. “You’re messing with me right?”

After the audience erupted in uncomfortable laughter, setting the tone for the evening, he continued, “Her man Will was not nominated for Concussion“. They’re not going to cancel the Oscars because I quit.

He said his experience shooting the film in the Canadian and Argentine wilderness brought him even closer to his belief that climate change is a critical issue.

“We are faced with an existential challenge”, DiCaprio said backstage at the Dolby Theatre Sunday night.