Anonymous Academy voter suggests Adam Sandler lost nomination over Oscar joke

Adam Sandler – while not a regular Oscar-nominee – was thought to be a certainty for a nomination this year, for his critically acclaimed work in the new Safdie brothers movie Uncut Gems.

But one Academy member has suggested that a joke he made to Howard Stern in an interview before Christmas could have cost him dear.

Appearing on the US shock jock's SiriusXM show, Sandler joked: “If I don’t get [the Oscar], I’m going to f**king come back and do [a movie] again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay.”

Read more: All the 2020 Oscar snubs and surprises

Though patently a remark made in jest, the voter 'huffed' to The New York Post: “There was an arrogance to [Adam]. It’s a lack of respect.”

‘Sandler’s brand doesn’t scream “Oscar”’

Another voter, a character actor who asked to remain nameless, also told the Post that it was Sandler's “brand” that put many off voting for him, rather than his performance.

“That [performance] was a tour de force. He’s emerging as a truly great actor, but then he does cheesy Netflix comedies that are really dumb,” they said. “Unfortunately, actors become brands. Sandler’s brand doesn’t scream ‘Oscar’, but Leo DiCaprio’s and Jonathan Pryce’s do.”

DiCaprio was nominated for his role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, while Pryce was recognised for his role in Netflix movie The Two Popes, opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins.

They went on to say that the same applied to Jennifer Lopez, who was also snubbed for her role in the movie Hustlers.

“First of all, Hustlers is not an ‘Oscar movie.’ It’s a little too rough around the edges, and I’m assuming some other people in the acting category didn’t see it,” they added.

“Florence Pugh seems to have gotten the J.Lo spot — maybe because Little Women is a prestige movie and she’s a bright, new star.

They went on to say that Lopez is seen as “a phenomenon more than an actress, per se. [Like when] Lady Gaga lost the Oscar to Olivia Colman — a real actor’s actor”.

Read more: Can Joker win big at the Oscars?

A number of snubs for this year's gongs have already dragged the Academy into the headlines, most notably over the lack of diversity.

Only one non-white star features in this year's acting categories, while all the directors nominated this year are male, despite Greta Gerwig's movie Little Women receiving virtually universal acclaim among critics.

The Oscars happen on 9 February.