Lupita Nyong'o (center) backstage at the Oscars

Lupita Nyong'o backstage at the Oscars on Sunday. Nyong'o and Kumail Nanjiani (left) addressed the so-called Dreamers — who are here under the policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — while presenting the Academy Award for for achievement in production design. (COURTESY OF THE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCE)

The Academy Awards had the lowest ratings in the show’s history Sunday. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, as the ceremony honoring the previous year’s achievements in film has been on a steady decline since 2014.

There’s a lot of conjecture as to why this occurred, with the same theories that get batted around each year tossed out once again: the nominees for Best Picture were too obscure for mainstream audiences; the broadcast was too long; and the event was too political.

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