The PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants responsible for the epic Oscars Best Picture flub have been assigned bodyguards after receiving a wave of threats.
The accounting firm has hired protection for Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz and their families, per TMZ. The move comes in response to targeted harassment online, with one person reportedly writing “You f—ing idiot, i will f— you every day.” Another said: “I hope you get fired and get cancer.”
At Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, Cullinan and Ruiz had a complete set of envelopes, and each was supposed to have memorized the winners in each category.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who presented the Best Actress award, entered from stage left and received the envelope from Ruiz; when it came time to present Best Picture, Warren Beatty received an envelope from Cullinan — but the PwC partner mistakenly gave him the spare Best Actress envelope that bore the name of Emma Stone and “La La Land,” rather than the Best Picture envelope that bore the name “Moonlight.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. Beatty and his “Bonnie and Clyde” co-star Faye Dunaway read out “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight,” forcing the musical’s producer to grab the mic and announce that the latter film had in fact won the Oscar.
As TheWrap previously reported, Cullinan and Ruiz will not lose their jobs over the incident, but they have been removed from the Oscars account and will not be a part of future ceremonies.