Michelle Yeoh’s Since-Deleted Post at Center of Academy Rule Debate Ahead of Oscars

A since-removed Instagram post from Oscar-nominated Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh is at the center of a debate regarding Academy rules.

To be clear, the debate in question is not focused on the acclaimed actress’ own words; instead, the Best Actress nominee had shared screenshots of a Vogue article about this year’s class of nominees. The article, by Radhika Seth, noted that it’s now been more than 20 years since a non-white actress won in the category. A key part of the article, and one shared by Yeoh, addressed Cate Blanchett’s appearance in the same category for her performance in Tár.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Meanwhile, for Yeoh, an Oscar would be life-changing: her name would forever be preceded by the phrase ‘Academy Award winner,’ and it should result in her getting meatier parts, after a decade of being criminally underused in Hollywood.”

Read the full piece here.

As Variety reports, some have pointed to an Academy rule about “references to other nominees,” specifically the barring of mentioning fellow competitors “by name or title.” Noted in that report is that similar questions were previously raised surrounding a social media campaign behind Andrea Riseborough’s To Leslie performance.

Worth noting here is that Yeoh’s sharing of the article can’t reasonably be interpreted as some sort of criticism against Blanchett herself. In fact, the two recently linked up for an extended one-on-one as part of Variety’s Actors on Actors series. They were also seen posing together on the Film Independent Spirit Awards red carpet mere days ago.

Complex has reached out to reps for Michelle Yeoh and the Academy for comment. This story may be updated.

The 2023 edition of the Oscars will take place this Sunday with returning host Jimmy Kimmel. For a full rundown of what to expect, including a look at this year’s nominees and presenters, why not read this?