PETA Drowns Joaquin Phoenix in Rejected Oscars Ad Spot

The world’s largest animal rights group is no stranger to controversial advertising. In fact, it could be argued that most of its past campaign themes–from models wearing nothing but strategically-placed lettuce leaves to ads likening the slaughter of chickens to the Holocaust–were developed with shock value in mind.

Now, PETA is claiming that ABC declined to air its latest spot during the upcoming Oscars telecast because it’s too “political and controversial.”