--- title: The Reason Behind Greta Gerwig's Barbie Oscar Snub: Theory description: Amid the outrage about Greta Gerwig being snubbed in the Best Director category, a new theory has emerged on the Internet. canonical: https://time.com/6576866/oscars-2024-greta-gerwig-snub-internet-fan-theory/ author: Armani Syed article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-01-24T11:30:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T10:50:56.000Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Internet's Theory About Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Oscars Snub og:description: Amid the outrage about Greta Gerwig being snubbed in the Best Director category, a new theory has emerged online. og:url: https://time.com/6576866/oscars-2024-greta-gerwig-snub-internet-fan-theory/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef7bf456f522b842/698a4422011682330e983d42/GettyImages-1537513223.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: "Barbie" European Premiere - VIP Access og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Internet's Theory About Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Oscars Snub twitter:description: Amid the outrage about Greta Gerwig being snubbed in the Best Director category, a new theory has emerged online. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef7bf456f522b842/698a4422011682330e983d42/GettyImages-1537513223.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Internet Has a Surprising Theory About Greta Gerwig's _Barbie_ Oscars Snub > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Armani Syed](https://time.com/author/armani-syed/)  ## Armani Syed Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Updated: Jan 19, 2026 10:50 AM UTCPublished: Jan 24, 2024 11:30 AM UTC  Oscars 2024: The internet has a theory that Greta Gerwig's nominations snub, and that of her Barbie colleague Margot Robbie, could turn out to be a good thing. Oscars 2024: The internet has a theory that Greta Gerwig's nominations snub, and that of her Barbie colleague Margot Robbie, could turn out to be a good thing.Gareth Cattermole—Getty Images  by [Armani Syed](https://time.com/author/armani-syed/)  ## Armani Syed Syed was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Updated: Jan 19, 2026 10:50 AM UTCPublished: Jan 24, 2024 11:30 AM UTC Since the [2024 Academy Award nominations](https://time.com/6565196/oscar-nominations-2024-snubs-surprises/) were announced Tuesday, _Barbie_ fans have been quick to point out that the lack of nominations for director Greta Gerwig and titular actor Margot Robbie felt like an ironic snub. The summer blockbuster racked up eight nominations, among them Ryan Gosling’s acknowledgement in the Best Supporting Actor category. But [a nod for Ken and not Barbie](https://time.com/6565502/margot-robbie-ryan-gosling-greta-gerwig-barbie-oscars/), in a film that touches on the infiltration of patriarchy, felt a little on the nose for some observers. It was strongly felt that Gerwig should be in the Best Director category, and that Robbie should be recognised alongside her fellow actresses. But amid the outrage, a new theory has emerged as fans hope the film “pulls an _Argo_.” Cinephiles who remember Ben Affleck’s directorial snub for _Argo_ during the 2013 Oscar nominations are hoping the snub could lead to _Barbie_ bagging Best Picture. One social media user posted on X (formerly Twitter): “[Could Greta Gerwig’s Oscar snub ](https://twitter.com/HammyActor/status/1750089087896170527)be the thing that delivers the Best Picture Oscar for _Barbie_?” (As an executive producer but not a producer, Gerwig would not actually win an Oscar should _Barbie_ win Best Picture). Another X user wrote: “[The only way to avenge Greta and Margot’s snub ](https://twitter.com/francisjspeaks/status/1749872431987126501)is to give it Best Picture. The academy has done it for less, _Argo_. You can do it #Oscars.” Meanwhile, Reddit fans took a more strategic approach. "Could Greta Gerwig actually benefit from a director snub (a.k.a pull an _Argo_)?" one movie fan queried. “[Maybe a director snub could actually play out in her favor](https://www.reddit.com/r/blankies/comments/19e3e2v/could%5Fgreta%5Fgerwig%5Factually%5Fbenefit%5Ffrom%5Fa/). Voters knowing that _Oppenheimer_ is likely to win bigger awards might vote for Gerwig in Best Adapted Screenplay,” they wrote. “Both because it is a remarkable achievement as a script and to partially make up for the director snub.” See below for further online commentary about the surprising theory. > [](https://twitter.com/MarloPerry/status/1750101789213622314) > [](https://twitter.com/LCJReviews/status/1750172057864704077) > [](https://twitter.com/francisjspeaks/status/1749872431987126501) > [](https://twitter.com/pmiscove/status/1749916914430939389) > [](https://twitter.com/jkozal/status/1749839977880670472) Affleck had directed and starred in _Argo_, a biopic about a U.S. hostage crisis in Iran, which was nominated in seven categories and went on to win three awards including Best Picture at the 2013 awards ceremony. Affleck spoke about losing out on a Best Director nomination during a 2021 appearance on _The Howard Stern Show._ “It was the big snub, right? That really taught me a lot. I did everything they told me,” he said, adding that he engaged with the campaign for it because he actively wanted to win the award. Recalling his snub, Affleck told Stern he called Warner Bros. and said “I’m never going to do it again… No handshaking.” Gosling also [expressed frustrations regarding _Barbie_’s snubs](https://time.com/6576771/ryan-gosling-oscar-nominations-barbie-statement-gerwig-robbie-ferrera/), saying he was “disappointed” by the lack of recognition for his colleagues. America Ferrera, who portrays Mattel employee Gloria, expressed her views on the nominations, saying: “Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it. Creating this world, and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.” In order to bag Best Picture, _Barbie_ would have to beat out critically-acclaimed favorites such as Martin Scorsese’s _The Killers of the Flower Moon_, Celine Song’s _Past Lives_, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ _Poor Things_. But fans will have to wait until the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on March 10 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to see if their theory is proved correct. **Correction, Jan. 25** _The original version of this story quoted a post on X that misstated Greta Gerwig's role with Barbie. 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