Jackson was referring to this year’s in memoriam section of the show, which began with Poiter and devoted 40 seconds to him.
Samuel L Jackson has criticised this year’s Oscars ceremony for its handling of the death of pioneering actor Sidney Poitier, as well as their attempts to reach a wider demographic by expanding the pool of presenters.
Yet Jackson remained unimpressed, saying that Poitier’s legacy was sufficiently substantial that the show would have looked very different without his influence.
Jackson was presented with an honorary Oscar by Washington at the Governors awards, which were held two days before the main ceremony.