Don’t mess with the Flossy Posse.
When the Golden Globe nominations were announced on Monday, there was one name glaringly absent. OK, there was more than just one, given the award show’s spotty track record, but the omission of Tiffany Haddish from “Girls Trip” left a particularly bad taste in our mouths. No one made us laugh harder this year than Haddish, and as the star herself has said, she ready.
After the snub, Haddish’s “Girls Trip” co-star Jada Pinkett Smith tweeted on Monday that she had “so much to say” about the nominations, but chose to bite her tongue instead. Cut to Tuesday, when the actress pulled a complete 180 and launched into an epic tweetstorm about the film’s lack of awards consideration.
“I’m not upset about @TiffanyHaddish or @GirlsTripMovie not getting a nom… I’m discouraged about the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press/@goldenglobes wouldn’t even WATCH the movie,” she wrote.
She went on to slam the “antiquated system” in the entertainment industry that “must learn to expand its concepts of race, gender equality and inclusion.”
“Girls Trip” not only received high praise from critics, but it also became the first comedy of the year to pass the $100 million mark at the box office. It was also the first film to do so ― ever ― that starred and was produced, written and directed by African-Americans.
“Girls Trip was one of the most successful films this summer & Tiff was hands down the funniest person on screen in 2017 and we couldn’t get eyes on the film or a press conference,” Pinkett Smith wrote. “How could a nom happen & how much more critical acclaim must a movie have to simply get a screening?”
A source close to the situation told HuffPost there was an official screening of “Girls Trip” for Hollywood Foreign Press Association members on July 18, and that the HFPA was also invited to the movie’s premiere.
Pinkett Smith noted that “The Big Sick,” which stars “Silicon Valley” actor Kumail Nanjiani, was likewise shut out from the nominations, and she expressed disappointment over “Get Out” being categorized as a comedy.
The film’s director, Jordan Peele, actually addressed the category controversy in November, explaining that it “didn’t register to me as an issue,” as there was no perfect fit for the genre-bending social thriller.
It’s not clear what steps Pinkett Smith will take ― or if Haddish will indeed appear as presenter during the ceremony ― but the actress called for a boycott of the Oscars in 2016 over the lack of nominees of color in the main acting categories.
“Moments like this occur so that we have an opportunity to discuss, recreate and regenerate old paradigms,” she said Tuesday on Twitter. “It’s all about growth. Love.”