The biggest surprises and snubs of the 2022 Oscar nominations

This morning, Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan announced the 2022 Academy Award nominations, and within minutes, the list of hallowed nominees, culled from the greatest performances and pictures of the last year, sent shockwaves through Tinseltown.

Big names mean big surprises, and there were some people nominated -- and notably NOT nominated -- that got people talking.

The 94th annual Oscars will be held on March 27th, and it seems that night will be a big night for The Power of The Dog, Jane Campion's western drama, which earned a whopping 12 nods across all the major categories like Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Picture, and Best Director. Following closely behind was Denis Villeneuve's Dune with 10 nods, and tied at seven were Kenneth Branagh's Belfast and Steven Spielberg's West Side Story.

POWER COUPLES! ❤️‍🔥

Kirsten Dunst & Jesse Plemons and Penélope Cruz & Javier Bardem were nominated for #Oscars in the same year. pic.twitter.com/vUWfo3WrC1

— Kirsten Dunst Updates (@DunstUpdates) February 8, 2022

When you dig a little deeper into the nominations, there are some delightful surprises. For example, did you notice all the couples who were both nominated? Kirsten Dunst and fiance Jesse Plemons, who co-starred in The Power of the Dog as a married couple, were BOTH nominated in the Best Supporting Actress/Actor categories respectively. Does the Academy make His & Her Oscars? *fingers crossed*

Speaking of delightful surprises, Will Smith has received his third career Oscar nomination for his starring role in King Richard. He won the Golden Globe this year for this performance, which is usually a good indicator that an Oscar nom is on the way.

Interesting to note that he is up against Denzel Washington for the gilt trophy - the last time the two faced off for Best Actor was waaaaaay back in 2002, when Will was up for Ali, and Denzel was up for Training Day. Denzel walked away triumphant that night, but 21 years later, the showdown continues. Seeing as how The Fresh Prince has never clutched the trophy in his hands, will this be the year the Men In Black star finally wins an Oscar?

Speaking of first-timers, Kristen Stewart clinched a Best Actress nom for her critically-acclaimed role as Lady Diana in Spencer. She was infamously snubbed for a BAFTA for this role, which like the Golden Globes, is a good indicator of Oscar success. Will this nomination mean a huge win for the Twilight star?

Whether she wins or not, her nomination has already symbolized a lot for the LGBTQ+ community. It has been a long 20 years since the last openly gay actor was nominated for an Oscar - that was Ian McKellen who nabbed a nomination for Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring wayyyyyy in 2002.

In addition, this year we have two openly gay actors! Kristen is joined by West Side Story actress Ariana DeBose, who is nom'd in the Best Supporting Actress category. It's gonna be an exciting night for Pride!

Kristen Stewart (‘Spencer’) becomes the first openly gay performer to be nominated for an Oscar for acting in 20 years. The last time it happened was Ian McKellen for ‘Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ in 2002. pic.twitter.com/vYokr1soGS

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) February 8, 2022

Can we talk snubs for a minute? Because all the Little Monsters around the world are not happy that Mama Monster, Lady Gaga, was snubbed for the Best Actress nom for her banger performance in House of Gucci. She was nominated for every other award during the season - Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG.

gaga was robbed but we're still very proud of her! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/W9IfNMZkY4

— 🍯 (@psychoshtick) February 8, 2022

How did gaga not get nominated? she was nominated for a BAFTA and like every other award

— steven (@skywalker975) February 8, 2022

Kristen Stewart nominated over Lady Gaga... should be a fun day on the internet

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) February 8, 2022

Lady Gaga was the only person to get all 4 precursor nominations but not the Oscar pic.twitter.com/2rSamdSFfZ

— My Name Is James (@_JamesGtfo) February 8, 2022

Lady Gaga is the only leading actress to be nominated at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Critics Choice, BAFTA this year. won a trifecta so HOW THE FUCK?!?!?!

— ً (@gagallure) February 8, 2022

Speaking of snubs, Catriona Balfe's name was noticeably absent in the Best Supporting Actress category for her powerful turn in Belfast, even though she got the BAFTA nom for it. Yet Judi Dench nabbed a spot on that nomination list, also for her role in Belfast, despite not receiving a BAFTA nom.

But Judi Dench over Catriona Balfe is such a big name privilege. 🙄

— rad ☀️ (@sweet_number1) February 8, 2022

Catriona Balfe getting overlooked in Belfast whereas Judi Dench gets picked for a very limited role. That’s pathetic. https://t.co/T0DqxD1DPT

— Brian Doyle (@Stoneysnapper) February 8, 2022

HOW ON EARTH HAVE THEY SNUBBED CATRIONA BALFE?! Preposterous! https://t.co/0QAaSkL4DH

— Ria Basu (@Riab1994) February 8, 2022

catriona balfe snub??? first the Emmy’s now the Oscars ??? pic.twitter.com/mlFBNjyy9m

— ki | olympics era (@noregretskii) February 8, 2022

It's a curious conundrum - compounded by the fact that Passing's Ruth Negga was also snubbed for the Oscar Best Supporting Actress. If you're wondering, yes, she also got the BAFTA nom above Judi Dench. Dame Judi is an incredible performer, but her inclusion here is creating a lot of side-eye.

ruth negga, we will avenge you pic.twitter.com/3RAYGIUDHt

— south dakota johnson (@naurveen) February 8, 2022

Crushed that the best performance of the year, Ruth Negga in PASSING, was the morning’s first Oscar snub

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) February 8, 2022

I do hurt for Ruth Negga. Might have been the best perf of the year. Catriona Balfe too. It’s not easy to play a worried mom and give it the kind of gravity she did. Can’t win ‘em all. https://t.co/DavheQoQTP

— David Phillips (@BrotherJulius83) February 8, 2022

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