What have Academy Award bosses said about Karla Sofía Gascón attending the Oscars?

The Oscars 2025 are finally here, and fans are waiting with bated breath to see which stars will be gracing the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles. 

The question on everyone’s lips right now is what Academy Award bosses have said about Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón attending the awards ceremony, given the controversy surrounding her previous offensive social media posts.

The Spanish star is nominated in the Best Actress category at this year’s Oscars – marking the first transgender performer ever nominated in an acting category – but she was seemingly removed from the pre-Oscars campaign trail by Emilia Pérez streaming site, Netflix.

Gascón’s face had reportedly been taken off of promotional materials relating to the Emilia Pérez film, despite her playing the lead, titular character, a Mexican cartel boss who fakes her own death to undergo gender-affirming surgery.

This followed after a slew of Gascón’s old, since-deleted tweets resurfaced, some expressing anti-Islam sentiment and others criticising the Academy Awards for promoting diversity, among other offensive remarks. She has since apologised for her comments.

Despite reports suggesting that Netflix would no longer cover expenses for travel, hair and makeup for events relating to the film and her absence being noted from screenings, Q&A panels and other awards ceremonies, Variety reported that Gascón would indeed attend the Oscars.  

The outlet added that Netflix agreed to cover her travel expenses for the Academy Awards.

Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast said they “hope” Gascón’s reported attendance comes with “an air of respect”. 

“The Academy does not condone hate speech — I want to be very clear about that,” Kramer began. “Karla’s nomination is historic. That’s really important. She’s still a nominee. We honor that, but we do not condone hate speech. 

“All nominees are invited to attend the show. That stands. If Karla joins us for the night [as THR has confirmed she intends to do], I hope there is an air of respect. We have over 200 nominees. The night is about much more than one person. We are there to celebrate all of our nominees.”

Gascón is up against Demi Moore, Mikey Madison, Fernanda Torres, and Wicked star Cynthia Erivo for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Oscars. 

Her co-star Zoe Saldaña, however, is rallying for the Best Supporting Actress gong, after winning the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for her role as dogged lawyer Rita in the musical.

Emilia Pérez, from French director Jacques Audiard, is the most nominated film at this year’s Oscars, with 13 nods. It is the most nominated non-English language film of all time.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.