Fans were outraged when Joan Rivers was left out of the 87th Academy Awards In Memoriam segment, but a rep for the Oscars tells The Hollywood Reporter it was nothing personal, they just simply couldn’t fit everyone.
"Joan Rivers is among the many worthy artists and filmmakers we were unfortunately unable to feature in the In Memoriam segment of this year's Oscar show," the statement to THR reads. "She is, however, included in our In Memoriam gallery on Oscar.com."
In the Academy’s defense, Rivers was never an Oscar nominee, and nor did she appear in any major blockbuster roles. Her credits did include smaller roles in The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Smurfs, Shrek 2, Spaceballs, and her documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Fans on Twitter, however, were still outraged that her years on the red carpets of Hollywood went unrecognized during the telecast.
“Dear @TheAcademy: It was really shameful that you didn't include #JoanRivers in your ‘In Memoriam’ tribute at the #Oscars. That was wrong,” one fan tweeted, while another added: “Omitting Joan Rivers from that in memoriam was genuinely disrespectful.”
Those honored during the show included 50 late stars such as Lauren Bacall, Ruby Dee, James Garner, Elizabeth Pena, Luise Rainer, Mickey Rooney, and Robin Williams.
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