Taylor Swift, Keke Palmer, Austin Butler and More Invited to Join the Oscars’ Prestigious Academy

Taylor Swift is filling a blank space on her résumé with another prestigious title: Academy member.

The "Cruel Summer" artist has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—the voting body behind the Oscars—along with Keke Palmer, Austin Butler, Stephanie Hsu, Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye and more.

"The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership," Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a press release on June 28. "They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines, and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide."

Swift and Tesfaye will be members of the Academy's music branch, meaning they will have voting power over music nominations and who takes home the highly-coveted golden statuettes, beginning with the 2024 Oscars.

Tesfaye previously earned an Oscar nomination in 2016 for "Earned It" from Fifty Shades of Grey. While Swift has not yet received an Oscar nomination, she did land on the Oscars shortlist—a select group of candidates vying for a nomination—for her song "Carolina" from Where the Crawdads Sing.

The Academy's new 398 member class also includes Selma Blair, Bill Hader, Nicholas Hoult, Lashana Lynch, Paul Mescal and Ke Huy Quan, the latter of whom took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 Oscars.

The new additions to the Academy come days after the organization unveiled it would be bestowing Angela Bassett an honorary Oscar statuette at the Governor's Awards later this year. Also getting the honor are Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton, with Michelle Satter receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Bassett had previously earned a Best Actress nomination for 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do With It and a Best Supporting Actress nod for 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

"The Academy's Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans," Yang said in a news release. "Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting."

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