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SPEAKING OUT: Jada Pinkett Smith

JADA PINKETT Smith has blasted the Oscars for snubbing black actors at this year’s ceremony, saying “people of colour are always welcomed to give out awards”.

The actress and wife of Hollywood star Will Smith took to Twitter at the weekend, days after The Academy announced its nominations, to voice her “deep disappointment” that the choices were overwhelmingly white.

Every actor and actress to land a nomination is white and notably snubbed stars including Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation, Will Smith for Concussion, Michael B. Jordan for Creed, and the cast of Straight Outta Compton, among others.

“At the Oscars...people of colour are always welcomed to give out awards...even entertain, (pt. 1),” Pinkett Smith wrote in the first of a three-post tirade.

“But we are rarely recognised for our artistic accomplishments. Should people of colour refrain from participating all together? (pt 2)

“People can only treat us in the way in which we allow. With much respect in the midst of deep disappointment. J (pt 3)”

British journalist and TV personality Piers Morgan was one of a number of high profile names to join Pinkett-Smith in calling out the “hideously racist” Oscars on the lack of diversity.

"No Oscar nomination for Straight Outta Compton either - which was brilliant," he tweeted after the nominations were announced on Jan 14. "Hollywood remains hideously racist."

"BREAKING NEWS: Oscars Whitewash: 20 acting nominations, no black actors among them. #OscarNoms," he added.

Civil rights campaigner Al Sharpton wrote: “All white Oscar nominations are another example of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Like the Rocky Mts. The higher u climb the whiter.

“Hollywood has a fraudulent image of progressive and liberal politics and policies. We must take direct action to correct this. Talk is cheap.”

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs released a statement in the wake of the uproar expressing her own disappointment, but didn’t want it to “take away the greatness [of the films nominated].”

“Of course I am disappointed,” she told Deadline, “but [it is] not to take away the greatness [of the film’s nominated]. This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it.”

“We have got to speed it up,” she added.