Oscars 2013: The Onion issues apology to Quvenzhane Wallis
It was the Oscar night tweet heard ‘round the world: While 9-year-old lead actress nominee Quvenzhane Wallis was enjoying her first Academy Award celebration, satirical website the Onion was disparaging the “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star with a tweet that generated outrage.
The tweet read, in part: “Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhane Wallis is ... “ and then referred to her by a crude obscenity.
The backlash to the brief message happened quickly, and within an hour the Onion, known primarily for its smart, satirical take on pop culture, removed the offensive tweet from its feed.
Oscars 2013: Nominee list | Red carpet | Highlights
Actor Wendell Pierce from “The Wire” and “Treme” was one of the most outraged and posted a string of tweets in his feed, one calling for the writer of the post to be identified.
“Let him defend that abhorrent attack of a child. You call it humor. I call it horrendous,” wrote Pierce.
The Onion issued a full apology to both Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, promising readers that the site will institute stricter guidelines for its Twitter feed and will discipline the people involved with the message.
“No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire,” wrote Onion Chief Executive Steve Hannah. “Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry.”
ALSO:
‘Argo’ is best picture in night of redemption for Affleck
A box office milestone for best picture nominees
MORE OSCAR COVERAGE
WINNING BALLOT: A list of the 2013 winners
TIMELINE: Academy Awards through the years
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
