Comedian Chris Rock opened the 88th Academy Awards with a monologue that poked fun at the diversity controversy which has marred this year's ceremony.
He began: "I'm here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People's Choice Awards. You realise, if they nominated hosts I wouldn't even get this job. You'd be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now."
Addressing why this year had attracted so much criticism, he explained: "Now the thing is, while we're protesting, the big questions is why this Oscars, why this Oscars? It's the 88th Academy Awards, which means this whole no-black-nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times.
"You've got to figure, it happened in the 50s and 60s, you know the 60s, one of those years Sidney (Poitier) didn't put out a movie. I'm sure there was no black nominees this year, say '62, '63, and black people did not protest. Why? Because we had real things to protest at the time."
Rock then reasoned how he would change the diversity issue in future years saying: "If you want black nominees every year, you need to have black categories. You already do it with men and women. Think about it, there's no real reason for there to be a men and women category in acting.
"There's no reason. It's not track and field. You don't have to separate them. Robert De Nero's never said, 'I better slow this acting down so Meryl Streep can catch up'. No. If you want black people every year at the Oscars, just have black categories like best black friend. 'And the winner for the 18th year in a row is Wanda Sykes'."
Rock claimed the greatest snub of the night had happened to Paul Giamatti.
"There's a lot of snubs, but there's a big one no one is talking about. My favourite actor in the world is Paul Giamatti. I believe he is the greatest actor in the world. Think about what Paul Giamatti has done in the last couple of years. Last year he's in 12 Years A Slave, hates black people; this year he's in Straight Outta Compton, loves black people. Last year he's whipping Lupita; this year he's crying at Eazy-E's funeral. Now that's range! Ben Affleck can't do that," he joked.
He finished his monologue by tackling Oscars red carpet sexism instead: "Another big thing tonight is you're not allowed to ask women what they're wearing any more, it's a whole thing, you have to ask her more... Well, not everything is sexism, not everything is racism.
"They ask the men more because the men are all wearing the same outfits. Every guy in there is wearing the exact same thing. If George Clooney showed up with a lime green tux on and a swan coming out his ass, someone would go, 'What you wearing, George?'"
The star then welcomed the audience to the 88th Academy Awards.
For a full list of winners click here.
