‘Am I Racist?’ star Matt Walsh blasts the Academy Awards for snubbing documentary exposing DEI

The star and writer of the controversial Am I Racist? documentary has swept the Academy Awards after eschewing the hit film among the top 15 nominees.

Matt Walsh posted on X that the documentary’s exclusion was a “farce” given its successful run.

The Daily Wire film grossed more than $12 million since its release, Mediaite reported, and Walsh described the film as “the highest-grossing documentary of the decade.”

“This is of course the outcome I expected, but that doesn’t make it any less of a farce,” he wrote.

In the film, directed by Justin Folk, Walsh goes undercover at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion dinners and conferences and poses as a progressive activist.

Walsh added: “If a conservative can make a documentary that crushes every other film in its genre that year, and beats every film in its genre in the last six or seven years, and still not even make the top fifteen, does that mean that conservatives are simply excluded from recognition of their work. Again, this is no surprise. But that’s what it means.’

The film follows Walsh’s film What is a Woman? from 2020, which became known as an anti-trans film.

Am I racist? has become a highlight film for DailyWire, founded by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing.

The satirical documentary is promoted on their site with a blurb that reads: ‘Follow one man’s hilarious journey as he goes deep undercover to infiltrate and expose the strange world of diversity, equality and inclusivity. Laugh, sob and cringe at his real-life misadventures.”

In the film, directed by Justin Folk, Walsh goes undercover at diversity, equity and inclusion dinners and conferences, posing as a progressive activist.

The film follows Walsh’s film What is a Woman? from 2020, which became known as an anti-trans film. Am I racist? has become a highlight film for DailyWire, founded by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing

Walsh stated that his documentary was shunned because he had learned that “the left really believes it owns the art of filmmaking.”

“Any conservative who makes a movie is an interloper, a sinister usurper showing up where he doesn’t belong,” he added.

‘The truth is that the success of my films – and they are both by far the most watched and influential documentaries of the decade – makes it LESS likely that they will be recognized by critics or awards. Our success is an insult to them. They hate us for it.’

Reactions to his statement were mixed, with some agreeing with him and others unsurprised.

‘Your film should have been nominated. This just proves it’s a fake match,” one commenter wrote.

‘Your documentary ‘Am I a racist’ was great. And yes, no surprise, “they” didn’t give it the recognition it deserves. Please keep doing what you’re doing,” said another.

“That’s because they consider your film a ‘mockumentary’, which it essentially is,” one wrote.

‘Your film is not politically correct. You don’t need the award. Besides, most of the films that have won awards in the last 20 years are rubbish. Your film is relevant and people have been talking about it. So.. Merry Christmas,” said one.

Another said: ‘It clearly lacked artistic merit…the tone was just all wrong.’

“Hollywood is a high school clique and you are not in it,” one wrote.

The 15 nominees, from 169 eligible films, are reduced to a shortlist of five.

The nominees for a feature documentary are: The Bibi Files, Black Box Diaries, Dahomey, Daughters, Eno, Frida, Hollywoodgate, No Other Land, Porcelain War, Queendom, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, Sugarcane, Union and Will & Harper.

The 97th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, will take place on March 3, 2025, with writer and comedian Conan O’Brien hosting for the first time.