NEWS: 'West Side Story' Star Rachel Zegler Invited to Present at Oscars Following Backlash Over Snub

The 94th Academy Awards are almost upon us, and with so many Disney nominations, we couldn’t be more excited to tune in.

The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 27th, 2022, with the Walt Disney Company scoring 23 nominations overall. But one star of Disney’s West Side Story didn’t get an invite to the Oscars, even though the film was nominated for Best Picture.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, actress Rachel Zegler, star of West Side Story, was snubbed from the 2022 Oscars invitation list.

DAVID M. BENETT/DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

The actress, 20, had posted on Instagram this past Sunday night, and one fan commented, “Can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing on Oscar night” to which Zegler replied, “I’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel”.

West Side Story sign at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Social media users responded with outcries showing their support for the actress, after it was revealed that non-industry celebrities like Tony Hawk and Shaun White had been invited. It looks like the Academy has listened, as Zegler has officially been invited to present an award this Sunday.

Zegler was not personally nominated for an award, so technically the Academy “was under no obligation to invite her and Disney was under no obligation to allocate one of its tickets for her” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

We’ll continue to monitor the situation as Zegler has not yet confirmed whether she will be attending or presenting at the ceremony this Sunday. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news.