The Internet's Theory About Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Oscars Snub

Since the 2024 Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday, Barbie fans have been quick to point out that the lack of nominations for director Greta Gerwig and titular actor Margot Robbie felt like an ironic snub.

The summer blockbuster racked up eight nominations, among them Ryan Gosling’s acknowledgement in the Best Supporting Actor category. But a nod for Ken and not Barbie, in a film that touches on the infiltration of patriarchy, felt a little on the nose for some observers. It was strongly felt that Gerwig should be in the Best Director category, and that Robbie should be recognised alongside her fellow actresses.

But amid the outrage, a new theory has emerged as fans hope the film “pulls an Argo.” Cinephiles who remember Ben Affleck’s directorial snub for Argo during the 2013 Oscar nominations are hoping the snub could lead to Gerwig, and Barbie, bagging Best Picture.

One social media user posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Could Greta Gerwig’s Oscar snub be the thing that delivers the Best Picture Oscar for Barbie? As producers, both Gerwig and Robbie will walk away with gold statuettes if @barbiethemovie takes the big prize. It’s like Argo all over again.”

Another X user wrote: “The only way to avenge Greta and Margot’s snub is to give it Best Picture. The academy has done it for less, Argo. You can do it #Oscars.”

Meanwhile, Reddit fans took a more strategic approach. “Could Greta Gerwig actually benefit from a director snub (a.k.a pull an Argo)?” one movie fan queried. “Maybe a director snub could actually play out in her favor. Voters knowing that Oppenheimer is likely to win bigger awards might vote for Gerwig in Best Adapted Screenplay,” they wrote.

“Both because it is a remarkable achievement as a script and to partially make up for the director snub.”

See below for further online commentary about the surprising theory.