Amy Poehler Calls Out Oscars for Ignoring Comedy

Amy Poehler has never been shy about speaking her mind, and this week the Parks and Recreation star turned her sharp wit toward one of Hollywood’s longest-running debates: the way the Academy Awards treat comedy. On the latest episode of her podcast Good Hang With Amy, Poehler sat down with Olivia Colman, who is currently promoting The Roses – a fresh spin inspired by Warren Adler’s The War of the Roses – where she stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. During their chat, Colman phoned Cumberbatch live on the show, and he dropped a line that struck a nerve: “If you can do comedy, you can do anything.” Poehler agreed wholeheartedly, and from there launched into a spirited defense of comedy as an art form that rarely gets its due at the Oscars.

“Every single year at the Oscars, comedy gets blanked, and all the serious people accept award after award,” she said, adding with blunt emphasis, “It’s some hot bulls – t! Because comedy is not easy.” Poehler, who has built a career blending sharp humor with nuanced performances, pointed to Colman and Cumberbatch as proof that top-tier actors can cross from prestige drama into laugh-out-loud comedy without missing a beat.

Her frustration is rooted in a pattern.

While a few comedies have broken through at the Oscars – The Favourite, Barbie, Everything Everywhere All at Once – these tend to be hybrids that mix satire, fantasy, or drama. Pure comedies, where the primary goal is to make audiences laugh, are almost never taken seriously by Academy voters. And it’s not just comedy that faces this bias. Horror arguably suffers even more: Toni Collette’s groundbreaking performance in Ari Aster’s Hereditary was widely considered Oscar-worthy yet ignored, echoing the snub many now compare to Amy Madigan’s buzzed-about turn in Zach Cregger’s Weapons. Poehler’s rant underscores a broader truth – the Oscars routinely sideline entire genres in favor of somber prestige pictures.

The irony, of course, is thick. The Academy relies on comedians as hosts, presenters, and monologue writers to keep the ceremony from dragging into a humorless marathon. Yet when it comes to recognizing the craft of comedy itself, voters act as if it were lightweight filler rather than one of the most technically demanding forms of performance. Timing, improvisation, emotional range, and the ability to land humor that resonates globally require a mastery that many dramatic actors would envy. As Cumberbatch quipped, if you can pull off comedy, you can handle anything – and that’s an endorsement with weight.

Some industry observers argue that comedy’s exclusion comes down to the Academy’s obsession with gravitas. Dramas offer “emotional weight” and tragic arcs that voters conflate with importance. But the truth is that great comedies often expose just as much about human behavior, power, and culture, while reaching audiences in ways dramas never could. Think of the cultural longevity of films like Groundhog Day or Some Like It Hot – movies that continue to be studied and loved decades later, even without Oscar gold attached.

Poehler’s remarks might not single-handedly change Academy voting habits, but they amplify a growing call for broader recognition of genres that fall outside the drama-dominated template. With the Academy recently introducing a new category for Best Stunt Design after years of lobbying, it’s clear the institution can evolve – albeit slowly. Whether comedies will finally earn their fair place on Hollywood’s biggest stage remains to be seen, but for now Poehler has given voice to what many fans and performers have long believed: dismissing comedy at the Oscars isn’t just unfair, it’s hot bulls – t.