NJ native Rachel Zegler will attend the Academy Awards after all

Well this was a rollercoaster, but it looks like it’s going to have a happy ending for Clifton, NJ native, Rachel Zegler. She’s going to be attending the Academy Awards after all!

For anyone who wasn’t keeping up with the West Side Story star’s saga, here’s what happened.

First and foremost: Zegler acted the hell out of her starring role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story,” earning her a Golden Globe award.

The movie gained seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role (Ariana DeBose as Anita), Achievement in Production Design, Sound, Costume Design, Cinematography, and Directing (Spielberg).

Over the weekend, fans were shocked when Zegler commented on Instagram that despite having a starring role in the movie, she was not invited to attend the Oscar ceremony. That's when the backlash started.

Not only did she have the support of fans of the movie, she had support from actor Russ Tamblyn, who starred in the original “West Side Story” (1961) as Riff.

When a Jet comes to the defense of a (sort of) Shark, that’s when you KNOW things are serious. Of course, the young actress handled the support with grace.

Tuesday, the Academy scrambled to handle the backlash and extended Zegler an invitation to the ceremony, but there was one issue: scheduling.

Zegler is currently shooting the live action remake of Snow White in London, England so would this invite even hold weight?

As it turns out, it did.

Zegler announced in a tweet Wednesday evening that she would, in fact, be at the awards show as a presenter after the movie’s producers were able to make it work.

It may not be as thrilling as winning an award herself, but at least the actress will be able to celebrate the film in person and not as she originally thought: from her couch.

So get ready for some Garden State representation this weekend! The 94th Academy Awards air Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.