Sorry MAGA, Turns Out People Still Like ‘Woke’ Art

As this year The Oscar nominations were released this morning, I told my boyfriend that They are sinnerswith a total of 16 names, set a record. “Everyone is back,” he replied.

He was joking (don’t mind him!), but his words highlighted clear propaganda. In the past year, as everyone from President Donald Trump has come down to talk about the dangers of DEI, a major cultural breakthrough—They are sinners, KPop Demon Hunters, Hot Competition, One Battle After Another-all shown diversity in new ways. And it worked. These works were not just popular among enthusiasts or critics, they were true cultural phenomena.

They are sinnersa horror film set in the Jim Crow South, it used vampires as a symbolic device to explore systemic racism and cultural theft—and director Ryan Coogler found great success in his partnership with Warner Bros. which gives him the film rights in 25 years. KPop Demon Huntersthe story of a Korean-Canadian female director who had been waiting for more than a decade for her chance to direct a feature, emphasized authenticity and brought the already huge subculture surrounding K-pop even further. Hot Competitiona small Canadian television production acquired by HBO, has made a huge impact on hockey by telling a corny yet heartbreaking love story between two closeted professional players. Again One Battle After Another—slapped by conservative commentators who felt it aligned with left-wing violence—offered tough ideas about motherhood and activism while lampooning ICE agent Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw and his attempts to equalize with other racists.

In a year when the White House issued several executive orders ending DEI programs in the federal government, the success of those projects felt like a form of resistance. The corporate media followed Trump’s lead, and Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon, Paramount Global, and Disney are all reportedly pulling back on their diversification efforts. Skydance, founded by David Ellison, the son of billionaire Trump supporter Larry Ellison, has been acquired by Paramount, which briefly took Jimmy Kimmel off the air for his joke about Charlie Kirk fans and gave CBS News a seemingly radical makeover. Meanwhile, shows that offered red meat in the form of farmers, bad MAGA fans, cowboys, and Christian values ​​were highlighted and promoted.

“There’s a feeling from … this authority that the only stories that matter are white men’s stories, and that’s not the case,” said Jenni Werner, executive artistic director of the New Harmony Project, which promotes theater, film, and TV and says it’s committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism principles.

“Audiences want to feel changed. They want to be able to sit down and watch something, whether it’s at home or in a theater, that takes you to a new place and maybe gives you a new understanding of something.” He adds that he has faith that artists will continue to do “the work of pushing the boundaries,” even if it continues to be difficult.

Even before Trump’s second term, trying to get the news out of Hollywood has become a slogan. According to UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report, released in December, nearly 80 percent of directors of theatrical films by 2024 were white, and 75 percent of leading actors.

The report also suggests that this disparity leaves money on the table, noting that BIPOC moviegoers were “overrepresented as ticket buyers for films with more than 20 percent BIPOC cast.” Sinners grossed $368 million at the box office, a feat that puts it in the “horror hall of fame,” according to the New York Times.