Barbie director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were famously snubbed in the 2024 Oscar nominations, which were announced on Tuesday (Jan. 23). On Wednesday, they heard from a woman who knows a thing or two about having to deal with a crushing disappointment: Hillary Clinton.
“Greta and Margot,” Clinton began her message to her 6.2 million Instagram followers. “While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You’re both so much more than Kenough.” The missive was signed “#HillaryBarbie.”
Clinton won “the box office” in the 2016 presidential election, receiving 65.9 million votes to just 63 million for her rival, Donald Trump. But presidential elections are decided in the Electoral College, where Trump received 304 votes to 227 for Clinton.
Gerwig and Robbie won “the box office” in a more literal sense. Barbie was the biggest hit of 2023 both in the U.S. and around the world. And it did pretty well overall in the Oscar nominations, with eight nods. But Gerwig was passed over for a best director nod and Robbie, who played Barbie to pink perfection, was passed over for a best actress nod.
Both women are nominated in other categories. Gerwig is nominated for best adapted screenplay in tandem with her husband and creative partner Noah Baumbach. And Robbie is nominated for best picture as one of the producers of the film. But those nominations, while welcome, don’t completely take the sting out of being passed over in these other categories.
There was no equivalent “consolation prize” for Clinton in the 2016 election. Elections are all-or-nothing affairs and Clinton got nothing – except perhaps for something she hinted at in her self-description in her Instagram profile: “doting grandmother, among other things.” Losing the White House gave her more time to dote on her three grandchildren: Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper.
See Clinton’s post below: