Spike Lee storms out after ‘Green Book’ Best Picture win and Twitter has thoughts

Feb 25, 2019

There were some major surprises during Hollywood’s biggest night, one of them being Green Book taking home the Oscar for Best Picture, upsetting many like Spike Lee who didn’t think the “white savior movie’ should have scored the coveted award.

—The 2019 Academy Awards: #BlackExcellence in all its glory on the red carpet—

On Sunday night, the controversial movie starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen took home the evening’s top award, but many critics blasted the win.

Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” was nominated for best picture at the Oscars and there were reports that he stormed out of the Dolby Theatre after he heard Green Book announced as the winner.

Lee, reportedly compared the “Green Book” win to a referee making “the wrong call.”

“Everytime somebody’s driving somebody, I lose,” Lee added backstage. Lee was referring to his movie Do the Right Thing, his first Oscar-nominated film losing an Oscar to Driving Miss Daisy.

According to a reporter for Deadline, Lee came back to his seat after the thank you speeches and engaged in what appeared to be an intense conversation with Jordan Peele.

Lee however did take home an Oscar for Best adapted screenplay for his movie. And Ali won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the movie.

Green Book was marketed as a feel good flick about how famed Black concert pianist Don Shirley (Ali) became friends with his white bodyguard Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Mortenson) while traveling through the deep South on tour. But the movie has been embroiled in controversy because of what critics say is a white savior narrative and for the Shirley family’s assertions that much of the film’s narrative is inaccurate.

—Oscars 2019: The complete list of winners—

Shirley died in 2013.

Black Twitter was ablaze last night when the winner was announced.

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