Ariana Grande, Kieran Culkin, Jimmy Kimmel among 534 invited to join Oscars academy

Yahoo

2 days ago

The Oscars' voting body is growing again with a glittering list of new recruits that includes pop superstar Ariana Grande, newly minted Oscar-winner Kieran Culkin and late-night veterans — and past Oscar hosts — Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien.
On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it had invited 534 new members across its 19 branches. This year's class includes Oscar nominees, below-the-line craftspeople and rising international voices — among them 'Wicked' star Grande; 'Succession' actor Culkin, who won the supporting actor Oscar for 'A Real Pain'; and late-night hosts Kimmel, a four-time Oscar emcee, and O'Brien, who hosted the ceremony for the first time this year. In all, the group features 91 Oscar nominees and 26 winners, including Mikey Madison, who took the lead actress Oscar for the best picture winner 'Anora.' Madison's co-stars Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian were also invited to the actors' branch.
The latest invitations reflect the academy's ongoing push for greater inclusion, even after meeting its post-#OscarsSoWhite diversity benchmarks. Of the 2025 class, 41% identify as women, 45% as members of underrepresented ethnic or racial communities and 55% are from outside the United States. Across the total membership, 35% identify as women, 22% as members of underrepresented groups and 21% are based internationally.
Read more: Inside the 'Wicked' musical number that could win Ariana Grande an Oscar
After years of rapid expansion — peaking with a record-setting incoming class of 928 in 2018 — the academy has shifted toward more sustainable growth. Still, this year's tally represents a modest increase over last year's 487 invitees.
Other additions to the acting branch — the academy's largest — include 'The Apprentice' co-stars Jeremy Strong and Sebastian Stan, who drew nominations for their portrayals of Roy Cohn and Donald Trump, respectively, in the controversial biopic, along with supporting actress nominee Monica Barbaro ('A Complete Unknown'), Aubrey Plaza, Jason Momoa, Jodie Comer, Dave Bautista and 'Emilia Pérez' star Adriana Paz. (Notably, 'Emilia Pérez' lead Karla Sofía Gascón, who made history this year as the first openly transgender performer nominated in the lead acting category, did not receive an invitation — a decision that follows backlash over past controversial remarks.)
New recruits to the directors branch include this year's nominees Coralie Fargeat ('The Substance') and Brady Corbet ('The Brutalist'), as well as Gints Zilbalodis, who directed the Oscar-winning animated feature 'Flow.' Invitees in the documentary branch include the team behind this year's Oscar-winning 'No Other Land': Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor.
'We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists and professionals to join the Academy,' academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. 'Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.'
If all invitations are accepted, the academy's total membership will rise to 11,120, including 10,143 voting members.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.