'Not best with...': Elon Musk junks Oscars' 'diversity quotas' for Best Picture, lead actor nominees

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Monday called out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on the "Representation and Inclusion Standards" for Best Picture and lead or supporting actor nominees in Oscars. Musk said that the criteria for nominations should simply be focused on who is the best. 

"This is messed up. Should just be who is best, not best with an asterisk!" Musk said in a post on X. He also shared the Oscars' criteria for Best Picture and other nominations. 

What does Musk mean by "best with an asterisk"? Well, films and actors nominated for Oscars need to meet something called the Representation and Inclusion Standards. These are aimed at ensuring equitable representation of diverse global population on and off screen. 

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility in the Best Picture category are designed to encourage equitable representation on and off screen to better reflect the diverse global population," the official Oscars website read. 

As per this criteria, at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors should either be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group in a specific county or territory of production.

Racial and/or ethnic groups listed were African American / Black / African and/or Caribbean descent; East Asian (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian); Hispanic or Latina/e/o/x; Indigenous Peoples (including Native American / Alaskan Native); Middle Eastern / North African; Pacific Islander; South Asian (including Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan; and Southeast Asian (including Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Laotian, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Thai, and Vietnamese). 

Coming to the nominations for general ensemble cast, the Academy demands that at least 30 per cent of all actors not submitted for nominations are from at least two underrepresented groups such as women, LGTBQ+ community, and people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

For a film to be nominated, the Academy mandates that the storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film should be centered on an underrepresented group like women, LGTBQ+ community, and people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing.