#Kirstie Alley: Oscars’ diversity rule is a ‘disgrace to artists everywhere’

Kirstie Alley slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its new representation and inclusion standards for Best Picture eligibility.

The 69-year-old star, who has never won an Oscar, tweeted on Tuesday her disdain for the new diversity rule.

“This is a disgrace to artists everywhere…can you imagine telling Picasso what had to be in his f–king paintings,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “You people have lost your minds. Control artists, control individual thought .. OSCAR ORWELL.”

In a follow-up tweet, the “Look Who’s Talking” actress clarified, “I deleted my first tweet about the new rules for best movie OSCARS because I feel it was a poor analogy & misrepresented my viewpoint. I am 100% behind diversity inclusion & tolerance. I’m opposed to MANDATED ARBITRARY percentages relating to hiring human beings in any business.”

The Academy announced earlier Tuesday that films vying for Best Picture nominations need to meet two of the four following standards: on-screen; among the crew; at the studio; and in opportunities for training and advancement in other aspects of the film’s development and release.

“We believe these inclusion standards will be a catalyst for long-lasting, essential change in our industry,” the Academy said in a statement.

A task force led by Academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos, in consultation with the Producers Guild of America, devised the new standards, which will go into effect beginning at the 2024 Oscars.