The Ninja Turtles Accused The Oscars Of Prejudice In A Bizarre & Tearful Interview
Before criticism of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for allegedly discriminatory practices became widespread, none other than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles accused the Oscars committee of prejudice in 1991. The Turtles, however, weren't entirely serious — at least to the degree that the Academy's critics would be a few decades later.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" premiered in March 1991, and that same year, Barbara Walters visited the Turtles in their former New York subway station home, likely on the set of "TMNT II." All four Turtles appear just as they do in the film — as actors in full-body costumes. Walters explains the interview (via YouTube) airs on the same night as the Oscars. Therefore, she wonders if the Turtles feel like they were snubbed with zero nominations. "I think it's prejudice," Michelangelo — voiced by Robbie Rist in the film and presumably in this interview — responds. "They don't like people who wear green." The other three Turtles voice their agreement. Michelangelo then points out that no reptiles have ever been nominated at the Oscars.
By that point in time, Eddie Murphy had publicly accused the Oscars of prejudice in a 1988 speech, currently available on the Oscars' YouTube channel, before presenting the award for best picture. So, while similar criticisms wouldn't become widespread until well into the future, this interview's intended comedy was nevertheless poking fun at a serious conversation critics like Murphy were already attempting to initiate.
Barbara Walters' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles interview concludes on a bizarre note
After covering the lack of Oscar nominations for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and the sequel's expected commercial success, Barbara Walters tees up one final question for the Turtles. "Do you know who your parents were?" she asks.
Donatello starts bawling in response, tears visibly cascading from his turtle costume's eyes. The interview then breaks down completely as the other three Turtles start chastising Walters, who then starts laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Of course, that absurdity is predicated on making fun of a teenager upset about their absent parents.
The Oscars implemented Representation and Inclusion Standards to address criticisms of a lack of diversity in films recognized at prior years' awards shows. The Barbara Walters interview undermines a call for Oscars diversity that ultimately reshaped the awards' criteria decades later. After that, it's capped off by an unrelated joke about the Turtles' parentage some viewers might also find insensitive. Altogether, Walters' sit-down with the Turtles is very much a relic of a bygone era.