Elon Musk continues fight against 'woke' culture, calls 2026 Oscars 'unwatchable'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Oscars are once again in billionaire Elon Musk's crosshairs.

The tech titan has made a habit of taking swings at what he calls “woke” culture. This year’s Academy Awards ceremony on March 15 was no different.  

Elon Musk tears into the Oscars

On March 16, Elon Musk reposted a fellow critic who took aim at the Oscars’ so-called “diversity inclusion” quota, which constitutes a set of rules tied to Best Picture eligibility.

The guidelines require films to meet certain representation benchmarks, including having at least one lead or supporting actor “from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group in a specific country or territory of production.”

The critic in question argued that a classic like 'The Godfather' wouldn’t even qualify today without bending to what they described as “woke” standards. They warned that such policies could spell doom for Hollywood, something Musk appeared to co-sign.

He reposted the message on X and added, “Oscars have become unwatchable.”

Elon Musk’s longstanding beef

Musk has been taking jabs at the awards ceremony for years, especially as the Academy leaned harder into representation and inclusion efforts.

Back in March 2025, he took issue with the same inclusion standards that call for representation across racial and ethnic groups, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities for films competing for Best Picture.

“This is messed up. Should just be who is best, not best with an asterisk!” he wrote at the time.

The world's richest man had already been sounding the alarm in 2024, claiming the Oscars had drifted from prestige into what he called a “woke contest.”

“When an award is diluted, everyone knows, including those who received it, and it no longer commands respect," he posted at the time.

Trump chimes in

President Donald Trump also piled on after the 2024 ceremony, taking to Truth Social with his own critique. Taking aim at host Jimmy Kimmel, the President blasted his performance as someone “trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be.”

Trump even floated a replacement, suggesting “another washed-up, but cheap, ABC’ talent,’ George Slopanopoulos." He argued that George Stephanopoulos would be less of a “train wreck” than Kimmel, whom he branded the worst Oscars host.

Like Musk, Trump questioned the show’s standing and said it had been “disjointed, boring, and very unfair” for years. He asked, “Why don’t they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them?” before signing off, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

That said, it's worth noting that Musk’s war against “woke” culture has also turned deeply personal.

In 2024, he sparked headlines after speaking about his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, formerly known as Xavier. Musk claimed he had been misled into approving her transition, saying he didn’t realize “puberty blockers are actually just sterilization drugs.”

He argued that those who support and enable such transitions for minors should face imprisonment. “So my son Xavier is dead, killed by the woke mind virus,” Musk declared.

While Vivian is alive, the SpaceX founder considers the transition as a personal loss.