Oscars 2024 viewers outraged over botched In Memoriam segment: ‘An astronomical failure’

During Sunday night’s 2024 Oscars, angry viewers at home ripped the R.I.P segment online.

The ABC broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, made it challenging to see the names and faces of deceased stars in the emotional In Memoriam, put dancers in front of the screen and frequently showed Italian singers Andrea Bocelli and son Matteo Bocelli instead of the dead.

“The direction of this In Memoriam is shocking,” wrote user @LoganKenny1 on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

“The entire image should be the people who’ve died, not the dancers and the stage. you can barely see most of the names. an astronomical failure in presentation.” 

User @lauratremaine was equally put off by the poorly thought-out tribute.

“I am infuriated by this In Memoriam,” she wrote. “It should be a full screen for the viewers, without distraction from the stage. this is a disgrace. If my loved one were in this, I would be so sad at how this is handled.”  

And @fromtheburkejr put it more succinctly: “The most horrible In Memoriam ever. And it was a low bar.”

The Bocelli duo sang once of Andrea’s signature tunes, “Time To Say Goodbye,” as dancers performed interpretive movements and names and photos of fallen Hollywood notables went by as usual.

But rather than display full-size clips and photos to the audience at home, the camera often shot the entire stage — making it hard to see the actors and filmmakers who were being honored, including Matthew Perry, Glenda Jackson, Ryan O’Neal, Paul Reubens, Harry Belafonte, William Friedkin and Norman Jewison.

Some famous faces were left out of the main portion, though their names were listed with many others at the end. They included Treat Williams, Suzanne Somers, Norman Lear, Lance Reddick, Burt Young and Ron Cephas Jones. 

Angus Cloud, the “Euphoria” actor who died in July at age 25, was omitted entirely.

Said user @CharlesSkaggs: ”I may be old-fashioned, but I preferred it when the In Memoriam was about the people who died and not about the singing and the dancing.”