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Comedian Hasan Minhaj delivered a blunt indictment of the state of awards shows, professional journalism, Armie Hammer and the independent film ecosystem at the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
Streamed live on YouTube — a focal point of the mockery in Minhaj’s monologue — the annual Santa Monica gathering began on a sour note. IFC, the cable channel that previously aired the awards franchise but did not renew its license agreement, was the first to be executed.
“We’re doing this super indie tonight,” Minhaj said. “We literally don’t have a distributor. The independent cinema chain did not want independent film awards.
He then pointed out what the network chose to air instead: “Semi-Pro,” a 2008 feature film starring Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson.
While discussing the big nominees of the night, Minhaj turned his attention to Luca Guadagnino’s film “Bones and All.” Minhaj wondered how many films Hollywood could make “about Timothée Chalamet falling in love with a cannibal”.
In ‘Bones and All,’ Chalamet and Taylor Russell star as young lovers with a penchant for eating people, but audiences groaned at Minhaj’s planned dig at Armie Hammer, the disgraced actor who starred with Chalamet in the famous “Call Me By Your Name”. .” Hammer faced numerous sexual assault allegations in 2021, stemming from often fetishistic extramarital affairs. The messages exchanged between the actor and several women included language referring to cannibalism.
Minhaj didn’t let himself get off the hook, explaining to the audience that he took the hosting gig to make himself known. He certainly didn’t do it for the paycheck.
“I certainly don’t earn as much as Jerrod Carmichael did when he hosted the Globes,” he said. “They handed me a Starbucks gift card and told me to use what was left on it.”
Minhaj criticized at length Variety’Deadline Hollywood’s sister site. The crowd shots were particularly troublesome in the first game. Cate Blanchett narrowed her eyes in confusion when the comic highlighted gender-neutral acting categories, saying any man who stands up against her will lose. “Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson played halfheartedly when Minhaj said everyone who loved his show – about a public school in Philadelphia – sent their kids to elite private schools. Awards season breakout Paul Mescal smiled nervously through a bit of Minhaj on how the two were set to play corpses on “The Crown,” referencing British colonialism affecting both Mescal’s Irish ancestors and Minhaj’s Indian ancestors.
Despite his overflowing disdain for the industry, Minhaj has a dance card filled with upcoming Hollywood projects, including the third season of “The Morning Show,” a role in Pamela Adlon’s feature debut and “Haunted Mansion.” Disney.