West Side Story star Rachel Zegler reveals she's 'not invited' to the Oscars


The Academy has apparently made an oh-so-pretty baffling decision: not inviting the star of West Side Story to the Oscars.
Rachel Zegler, who plays Maria in the Oscar-nominated West Side Story, revealed on Instagram she hasn't been invited to next week's awards ceremony. When a commenter said they were looking forward to seeing what Zegler wears on Oscar night, she replied, "I'm not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend's flannel."
Zegler's followers expressed confusion that she hasn't been invited considering she's one of the leads of West Side Story, a film nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. In another comment, in fact, Zegler suggested she unsuccessfully attempted to secure an invitation, writing, "I have tried it all but it doesn't seem to be happening."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Oscars this year will have an audience of about 2,500 people in the Dolby Theater, which seats over 3,300 people, according to The New York Times. Zegler isn't nominated for Best Actress, but she previously attended awards ceremonies before the Oscars like the British Academy Film Awards despite not receiving a personal nomination. Her West Side Story co-star Ariana DeBose, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, is expected to attend the Oscars.
With the Oscars a week away, Zegler expressed hope the situation could change.
"I will root for West Side Story from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did 3 years ago," she wrote. "I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that's how it goes sometimes, I guess. Thanks for all the shock and outrage — I'm disappointed, too. But that's okay. So proud of our movie."
Zegler's exclusion was just the latest revelation about the 2022 Oscars that sparked heavy criticism, and The Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg summed up the general reaction by tweeting, "I'm sorry ... WHAT THE FLYING F--K IS GOING ON HERE?!"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Deaf Republic: ‘an experimental epic of war and resistance’
The Week Recommends Ukrainian-American writer Ilya Kaminsky’s poetry collection is brought to the stage in this ‘enthralling’ production
-
The Week US subscriptions FAQ
How to manage your subscription, get digital access, enquire about delivery problems and renew gift subscriptions
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during spooky season
The Week Recommends As fall arrives, check out new albums from Taylor Swift, Jeff Tweedy, the Lemonheads and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play