Academy Expands Membership
Film Academy invites 529 new members, including Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi, nearly doubling size
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 529 new members to its Oscar voting body, including Jenna Ortega, Jacob Elordi, Josh O'Connor, and the Safdie brothers, AP News reported. If all accept, the Academy will grow to 11,319 total members — nearly double its size from a decade ago.
The 2026 class is 42% women, 56% from underrepresented ethnic or racial communities, and 53% international — drawn from 60 countries. International members now make up 22% of the full voting body, according to The Wrap.
Star-Studded Class Reflects 2026 Awards Season
Several invitees made waves at the 98th Academy Awards earlier this year. Teyana Taylor earned a nomination for *One Battle After Another*. Jacob Elordi was recognized for *Frankenstein*. The Safdie brothers — Benny and Josh — were invited through the Directors Branch after their film *Marty Supreme*, according to Las Vegas Sun.
Other notable actors invited include Simu Liu, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Julia Garner, and Bill Skarsgård, according to WRAL. Jenna Ortega, best known for *Wednesday*, was invited following a string of recent film roles. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang called the class "remarkably talented" and said members have made "significant contributions to our global movie industry."
Academy Membership Has Nearly Doubled Since #OscarsSoWhite
In 2015, the Academy had roughly 6,000 members — and faced a firestorm. Two straight years of all-white acting nominees sparked the #OscarsSoWhite movement. The Academy launched the "A2020" initiative, vowing to double its diversity by 2020. It worked: membership swelled fast, with some annual classes topping 800 to 900 invitees, according to The Wrap.
The pace slowed after 2020, settling to roughly 400–500 invites per year. A 2016 rule also moved members inactive for 10 years to "emeritus" — non-voting — status. Today, the voting body stands at 10,338. White members have dropped from 92% to 75% of the total. Male members fell from 75% to 64%, according to News4JAX.
New Oscar Categories Signal Bigger Structural Changes
This year's class includes Cassandra Kulukundis, the first-ever winner of the Best Casting Oscar — a new award fully introduced in 2026, according to The Wrap. A Best Stunt Design category is set to launch in 2028. The Academy also introduced new rules this year banning AI-generated performers from acting categories, requiring that nominated roles be "demonstrably performed by humans with their consent," according to KNKX.
The Animation Branch received the most invitations this year at 43, followed by Documentary (42) and Visual Effects (37). The Actors Branch received just 29 invites — a smaller share, even as several high-profile names dominate headlines.
Diversity Push Faces Questions From Inside the Industry
Despite the numbers, critics are not fully convinced. Stacy L. Smith of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has noted that nominees from underrepresented communities still "fall far below proportional representation" in many categories. The Academy also faced scrutiny after several senior Black executives departed in early 2026.
Kramer and Yang sent a letter to members in April 2026 to "reiterate, in the strongest possible terms, the Academy's commitment" to diversity programs. Some analysts say inviting young stars like Ortega and Elordi is also a calculated move to attract younger TV audiences, as Oscars viewership has trended downward for years, according to Winnipeg Free Press.
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