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Neil Patrick Harris mocks Oscars judging panel: 'Tonight we celebrate Hollywood's whitest'

The actor then went on the pronounce David Oyelowo's name incorrectly

Daisy Wyatt
Monday 23 February 2015 03:42 GMT
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Neil Patrick Harris presenting the 87th annual Academy Awards
Neil Patrick Harris presenting the 87th annual Academy Awards (Getty Images)

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Head shot of Kelly Rissman

Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

Neil Patrick Harris has started the 87th Academy Awards as he clearly intends to go on.

Taking to the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the Gone Girl actor opened the ceremony by slating the vast majority of the ceremony’s attendees.

Harris has touched a nerve on what has become one of the most talked about issues of this year’s Oscars.

The 87th Academy Awards have been called the “whitest Oscars” since 1998 after the Academy failed to nominate a single black or Asian actor in its four acting categories.

The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was trending before the awards as Twitter users posted to say they would be boycotting watching the ceremony on TV.

Of the 6,000 people who get to vote in the Oscars judging panel, 93 per cent are white, 70 per cent are male and the average age is 63.

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