Will Ferrell gave the proverbial middle finger to the Oscars.
The “Anchorman” actor, 57, joked about the Academy snubbing his inspiring documentary, “Will & Harper,” from the 2025 nominations list.
“Ask me if we got Oscar-nominated,” Ferrell said to Stephen Colbert on a recent episode of “The Late Show.”
Will Ferrell and Stephen Colbert.
“It’s such a good documentary, it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in years,” Colbert, 60, told Ferrell.
“It was beautiful, it was timely, it was heartfelt, I was inspired by it,” Colbert continued, before asking, “Tell me, how was the Oscar nomination?”
“We didn’t get it,” Ferrell bluntly said.
Will Ferrell on “The Late Show.”
Colbert told Ferrell he was sorry about the snub, adding, “Well, f–k those guys, right?”
“I know, right? Thank you,” Ferrell said.
“F–k the academy. Say it!” Colbert told Ferrell.
“Will & Harper.” ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection“Especially the doc branch, the doc branch of the academy,” Ferrell said in a mocking tone. “You don’t want to hang out with the doc branch. What a bunch of losers.”
He added, “In fact, I hope there’s some of them here tonight. See, if you’re a member of the doc branch — suck it!”
Will Ferrell on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
Will Ferrell talking to Stephen Colbert.
“Will & Harper” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year before being released by Netflix in September.
The documentary follows Ferrell and his friend and fellow “SNL” alum Harper Steele’s 17-day road trip across the country “to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self” after Steele came out as transgender in 2022.
Harper Steele and Will Ferrell in “Will & Harper.” ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele in “Will & Harper.” ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett CollectionThe National Board of Review named the film a Top 5 documentary of the year.
The doc was shortlisted for two Oscars, for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song (Kristen Wiig’s “Harper and Will Go West”), but the doc ultimately didn’t get any nominations from the academy.
Greta Gerwig, Rafael Marmor, Harper Steele and Will Ferrell at a London screening of “Will & Harper” in December. Dave Benett/Getty Images for NetflixInstead, “Black Box Diaries,” “No Other Land,” “Porcelain War,” “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” and “Sugarcane” scored nods in the Best Documentary Feature category, while the Best Original Song category nominees are “Never Too Late” (from the film “Elton John: Never Too Late”), “El Mal” and “Mi Camino” (both from “Emilia Pérez”), “Like a Bird” (“Sing Sing”) and “The Journey” (“The Six Triple Eight”).
Harper Steele and Will Ferrell in London. Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix
Harper Steele and Will Ferrell. Dave Benett/Getty Images for NetflixLast year, Ferrell spoke to USA Today about the positive response he’s gotten from “Will & Harper.”
He said he received texts from friends saying, “I didn’t really know what it meant to be trans,” and that they now know how to better support other people through transitioning.
