Bob Saget Was Left Out Of The Oscars’ In Memoriam Segment, And People Aren’t Happy

One of the more notable things that happened on stage at the 2022 Oscars last night (and that’s truly saying something, considering one winner slapped a man) was when the Academy began their annual In Memoriam segment. What is usually a celebration of the lives that had been lost since the previous ceremony can sometimes turn into an online Academy shame fest, with people reaching peak levels of anger at the omission of certain famous faces from film. Almost every In Memoriam segment forgets a handful of deceased stars that objectively feel like they should be included, and this year was no exception. Like when the In Memoriam segment came to a close last night and had many at home wondering where Bob Saget’s face was?

The In Memoriam segment opened, unsurprisingly, with the first tribute being dedicated to acting legend and Hollywood ground-breaker Sidney Poitier, who was introduced by Tyler Perry. Normally the recently deceased are not given personal introductions, but at last night’s Oscars, the Academy decided to single out three specific acting greats that died in the past 12 months. Sidney, as mentioned, then Ivan Reitman (introduced by Bill Murray), and finally Betty White (introduced by Jamie Lee Curtis and an extremely cute puppy who stole the show). Also given a mention were Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on the set of Rust after a gun held by Alec Baldwin discharged, as well as William Hurt, Stephen Sondheim, and Jean-Marc Vallée. All the while, a choir of singers dressed in jewel-tone tuxedos sang and danced to songs like Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” “Spirit in the Sky,” and…the Golden Girls theme? And again, all that and a puppy named Mac n’ Cheese.

Those adorable Mac n’ Cheese’s snuggles couldn’t overshadow the elephant in the room, which was the actors who didn’t make the cut. Variety notes that along with Bob Saget, who died only two months ago, the internet was filing a missing person’s report for Ed Asner, Norm Macdonald, Sex and the City’s Willie Garson, actor Gaspard Ulliel, and Robert Downey Jr.’s director father, Robert Downey Sr. Plenty of those names are somewhat more notable in the world of television, and therefore their absence from the Oscars can be explained a little better. Betty White herself pretty much was television, but she was also a legend of all screens, big and small. So Betty getting so much special time at the Oscars wasn’t wrong, but the argument could be made that if Betty is included, then so can other sometimes-movies TV actors too. Bob Saget was primarily a television actor, but he was also a movie actor, and very notably, a movie director (he directed fellow In Memoriam snub-ee Norm Macdonald in Dirty Work). And, Bob Saget was technically an Oscar winner. In 1977 he won a student Oscar for Documentary Short.

Regardless of whether you think Bob Saget was too TV for the movies, some people are really mad that he wasn’t up there while that choir was dancing and clapping. via Variety:

Every year, viewers are surprised to see that a few recognizable names were omitted. Beloved comedian Bob Saget, who had a small handful of film appearances in movies including Richard Pryor’s Critical Condition, drew the most outrage on social media. However, Saget did win a student Oscar for his 1977 documentary Through Adam’s Eyes.

The New York Post points out that some people were mad enough to demand the Oscars be canceled!!!! I can see why Bob Saget got the bump. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that Bob Saget was the king of televised football crotch hits, courtesy of America’s Funniest Home Videos, and that he was truly one of America’s most beloved dads, thanks to Full House. And those are honors of television. Besides, if you included Bob Saget’s face in the In Memoriam, the Academy would also have to use a still from Bob’s most famous film appearance, and correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t that be his cameo in Half Baked? Somehow I don’t get the feeling ABC would be cool with such a bold reference to oral sex and cocaine (that might be more of an NBC thing).

Pic: ABC