Joaquin Phoenix’s PETA Commercial Banned from the Oscars

PETA wanted to screen their new ad with Joaquin Phoenix during the Oscars but say ABC banned the commercial claiming the spot is too political to run. The commercial shows Joaquin drowning in an attempt to highlight what it’s like for a fish to die.

A PETA rep writes, “Capitalizing on the buzz surrounding Phoenix’s critically acclaimed performance in The Master, PETA U.S. moved to place the ad during the Academy Awards, but U.S. television network ABC deemed the video to be too political and controversial to run during the broadcast.”

To be fair, the Oscars are like the Jay Leno of awards shows. They stay away from anything controversial hence why they had Billy Crystal host it. But now Seth MacFarlane is hosting which seems kind of weird because you’d expect a lot more poop jokes.