Let’s get real: how is it that Lupita Nyong’o wins an Oscar in her breakout role… and then Hollywood hits her with radio silence?
Meanwhile, Margot Robbie can headline flops and still be crowned the golden girl? According to international award-winning choreographer Jamaal Burkmar, that’s not just bad math, it’s a full-blown bias.
In a viral Instagram video that’s racked up over 400,000 views in 24 hours, Burkmar brilliantly (and bluntly) compares the careers of Lupita Nyong’o and Margot Robbie, two breakout stars from 2013.
While Lupita took home an Academy Award for 12 Years a Slave, she’s only had four lead roles since. Margot? She’s starred in more than 25 films, produced five, and somehow keeps landing top billing — even when the box office receipts are underwhelming.
“Margot Robbie gets to fail upwards while Lupita isn’t even getting a shot,” Burkmar says, backing up his points with receipts — literally.
He lists Margot’s string of mid-tier or underperforming movies (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Terminal, Babylon) and contrasts it with Lupita’s far more selective but critically acclaimed work.
“This is not the filmography of someone Hollywood should call ‘undeniable,’” he quips.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about hating on Margot — it’s about calling out how Hollywood rewards whiteness, even when the numbers don’t add up. Burkmar’s breakdown is part data, part drag, and 100% accurate.
And Lupita’s not the only one sounding the alarm. Taraji P. Henson recently made headlines — and brought many to tears — when she opened up to Gayle King about considering walking away from acting altogether.
Despite a decades-long career, over $3 billion in box office earnings, and a history of groundbreaking roles, she says she’s still being underpaid and undervalued.
“I’m just tired,” Taraji said, echoing what so many Black actresses — and Black women in every industry — have felt. Tired of giving excellence and getting excuses.
Burkmar’s analysis might be the wake-up call Hollywood didn’t know it needed. It’s sharp, funny, and deeply serious. Because when Black women show up and show out, the least the industry can do is pay them what they’re worth.
As Burkmar himself put it: “We turn up for your movies every year in every country… maybe start getting annoyed at how easy it is for me to point this stuff out.”
Hollywood, the math still ain’t mathing. Time to fix it!
