“Anatomy of a Fall” Star Messi the Dog Not Expected At The Oscars, Fans Want “Justice”

Anatomy of a Fall star Messi the dog was the center of attention at the annual Academy Award Nominee Luncheon in February, which gave actors and viewers hope that the four-legged thespian would be the crowd for the 95th annual Oscars ceremony. But it looks like he’ll be missing the occasion.

The border collie has been the unofficial face of the 2024 awards show, and he solidified that place when he schmoozed with a-listers at the luncheon. While there, he made friends with Billie Eilish, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, and more.

Fans naturally believed that if Messi the dog went to the pre-event, he’d be at the big event, but sources told publications like The Hollywood Reporter that Messi would not make an apperance. The news was so devastating that his fans began an X campaign called #JusticeForMessi.

Some people have added the hashtag to pictures of other non-human celebrities who have attended the Oscars in the past, such as Jimmy Kimmel’s “support donkey” and Uggie, the Jack Russel Terrier from The Artist.

Other people pointed out that Messi was the best actor of 2024, so he has every right to walk the red carpet. Some of his adoring fans also said they’ll boycott unless the Academy rights its wrong.

“JUSTICE FOR MESSI, THE DOG FROM ANATOMY OF A FALL What do you mean he’s prohibited from attending the Oscars???? He literally gave an Oscar-worthy performance… And I’m not even joking,” an angry fan wrote.

“@TheAcademy boycotting the awards on Sunday,” threatened another. “Humans are now scared of losing to a dog (mind you, the dog is a better actor than most that will be in attendance).”

There are some rumors that production studios complained about Messi the dog being at the luncheon because he stole too much attention, and those studios asked the Academy to ban him from the ceremony.

Whether that last bit is true, we don’t know. However, we do stand behind Messi and hope he makes a last-minute apperance at the Oscars!

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.