The 95th Academy Awards brought with it some truly historic wins. Brendan Fraser, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis took home their very first Oscars.

Most movie-goers were thrilled for the latter, except for one. With “Everything Everywhere All At Once” being nominated for 11 awards, many thought that Stephanie Hsu would be the winner for supporting actress, but, alas, it was Curtis, despite her significantly smaller role.

Though audiences love Curtis, her win for Best Supporting Actress certainly threw many for a loop.

Having watched three of the nominated performances, her role as the IRS Agent in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” though entertaining, was hardly the most impactful role. In that film alone, Hsu’s performance was extremely moving as she fulfilled the complex role of the enigmatic overlord who doubled as a lesbian in search of acceptance from her mother — much more difficult of a role to portray than an IRS agent. 

Additionally, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t side with the rest of the world in that Angela Bassett was horrendously snubbed. Her portrayal of Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” moved audiences across the world to tears, teetering between the realms of supporting actress and lead actress as she displayed arguably one of her best performances. 

Still, many were thrilled that Michelle Yeoh took home the award for Best Actress and were simultaneously excited and saddened by the fact that it was only the second time ever that a woman of color has won the Oscar for Best Actress since Halle Berry in 2002. Hsu and Bassett’s performances were stark in contrast to that of Curtis’, and although most were not happy about it, eyebrows are finally being raised at the Academy’s increasingly evident preference toward white actors.

In the 95 years the Oscars have been around, only 24 actors and actresses of color have won an award for best lead or supporting performance. It’s even more insane when you think of all the great performers who have never won an award to begin with. Samuel L. Jackson, the late Chadwick Boseman, Dev Patel, Salma Hayek and the previously mentioned Angela Bassett.

Heck, this is just people of color — there’s a whole other problem with the Oscars problem with spotlighting women in general. Three women have won Best Director. Three years out of 95 saw female directors be given the highest honor in Hollywood. Almost every other year, it’s the same thing we always see, white man after white man.

From this past year alone, directors like Sarah Polley, Maria Schrader and Charlotte Wells all had some of the highest rated films of the year, and none of them got a nod for Best Director.

The Oscars have been trying to do better, but nothing about the pushes for diversity feel sincere, and as long as wins like Jamie Lee Curtis keep happening, where the predominantly white voters look more at a career rather than the actual merits of a performance, it will always feel like the Academy is playing favorites. There has yet to be an Oscars ceremony where every win felt like it was earned and given to the right person.

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