No ethnic minority actors or actresses were nominated for the top Oscar awards for the second year running, sparking an outcry and prompting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to announce reforms.
"I think that when everyone's story is told then that makes for better art," Obama told regional television anchors.
"It makes for better entertainment, it makes everybody feel part of one American family," he said, according to an ABC affiliate.
"And I think the Oscar debate is really just an expression of this broader issue.