Will Ferrell jokingly calls out Oscars for Will & Harper snub

Will Ferrell would like to have a word with the Academy.

Sign up for the Out Newsletter to keep up with what's new in LGBTQ+ culture and entertainment — delivered three times a week straight (well…) to your inbox!

In 2024, the comedian and actor appeared in the cross-country road trip documentary Will & Harper with his close friend Harper Steele, who had just come out as trans. Despite its critical acclaim (99 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and being one of the most politically/socially relevant docs of the year, Will & Harper was snubbed from the Oscars in the Best Documentary and Best Song categories.

During an interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Ferrell jokingly discussed his feud with the Oscars. After host Stephen Colbert praised the film, Ferrell teased: "Ask me if we got Oscar-nominated."

"It's such a good documentary. It's one of the best documentaries I've seen in years. It was beautiful. It was timely. It was heartfelt. I was inspired by it," Colbert responded. "How [about] the Oscar nomination?"

"We didn't get it," Ferrell deadpanned, prompting Colbert to add, "F*ck the Academy."

"Especially the doc branch," Ferrell said. "You don't want to hang out with the doc branch. What a bunch of losers."

"In fact, I hope there's some of them here tonight," Ferrell said, looking out to the audience, "If you're a member of the doc branch, suck it."

While Will & Harper was shortlisted for the Oscars, the final nominees were Black Box Diaries, No Other Land, Porcelain War, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, and Sugarcane.

The 97th Academy Awards air Sunday, March 2 on ABC.