The Oscars are just days away and as Hollywood prepares for its biggest night, a controversy is also underway. At the center of it is Oscar nominated actress Wunmi Mosaku or rather an illustration of her. The New Yorker profiled the actress in an article but it’s the lead image, not the written word, that has people up in arms. Many feel the illustration by João Fazenda does not properly depict Mosaku who is known for her commanding presence and almost goddess-like elegance. The backlash to the artwork has mostly focused on how mainstream media often fumbles images of Black women. Critics have pointed to Simone Biles’ Vogue cover as another example. On Threads Leta McCollough Seletzky wrote, “What The New Yorker did to the image of Wunmi Mosaku is one of the reasons why I’m so cautious about who captures my image and for what purpose. Many lack the capacity to see people like me, so they cannot be trusted to properly recognize me.”
The Artist’s Apology
While Mosaku or The New Yorker have yet to comment on the backlash, Fernandez has addressed it in the comments of his Instagram account.
“I’m really ashamed with the poor drawing I did,” Fernandez wrote. “I’ll do my best for something like this [to] never happen again. The last thing I want is for my work to be offensive. I’m really sorry. I’ll work harder.”
Amidst the conversation about Black women and representation, other artists have created their own interpretations of Mosaku. DeAnn Wiley reimagined the illustration with the caption, “No shade to the artist but there has to be a level of care taken when illustrating Black women.”
4 Striking Wunmi Mosaku Red Carpet Looks
The illustration controversy feels like a perfect invitation to celebrate the beauty that Wunmi Mosaku consistently displays especially as we look forward to her appearance on the 2026 Oscars red carpet. Here are some of her stunning appearances during this year’s awards season.
The Oscar nominated actress was the picture of elegance in this olive colored Ri Mi bodycon gown. The perfectly draped dress complimented her growing bump with pops of gold accents. Mosaku wore this to the Oscar Nominees Luncheon and
Mosaku chose a unique color combination for her appearance at the 57th NAACP Image Awards. The two-toned gown by Christian Siriano featured a blush poof and train.
The ultimate lady in red, Mosaku’s style choice for the Annual Actor Awards was striking and bold. She paired the Louis Vuitton dress with simple accessories and perfectly coiffed hair.
Yellow is definitely Mosaku’s color. This pleated number by Aquamaia popped on the Film Independent Spirit Awards’ blue carpet. It was a great choice to show off the mommy-to-be’s bump.
The image that inspired artist DeAnn Wiley’s reimagined illustration features Mosaku in a breathtaking fringed gown. She wore it to the Bafta Film Awards and chose a pop of purple on her eyes to complete the look.