Oh, of course, the Oscars aren’t being canceled. Why would Hollywood’s favorite self-congratulatory glitz-fest even think of hitting pause, even as thousands of Californians are left homeless, traumatized, and burned out of their lives by the raging Los Angeles wildfires? The show must go on, right? After all, how else would the elite A-listers remind us, peasants, that they care—while dressed in designer couture, sipping $500 champagne, and patting themselves on the back for their “activism”? Eye roll, indeed.
The rumor mill kicked into overdrive this week when The Sun claimed that the Oscars might be canceled due to the ongoing devastation caused by the wildfires. According to the British tabloid, some Hollywood heavyweights like Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep were allegedly part of a secret “contingency committee” to figure out how to handle the situation.
But as it turns out, the story was nothing more than tabloid fluff. Hollywood quickly denied the whole thing, with the Academy insisting that the ceremony is staying firmly on the calendar for March 2. Because why acknowledge real-world suffering when there are golden statues to hand out?
But here’s the kicker: even though the Academy is keeping the Oscars on schedule, they did make a few token adjustments. They extended the voting window, canceled the Nominees Luncheon, and postponed the Scientific and Technical Awards. How generous of them!
Meanwhile, four members of the Academy’s board of governors lost their homes in the wildfires, but don’t worry, folks—the big show itself remains untouched. Heaven forbid they mess with the main event, where celebrities will inevitably use their acceptance speeches to lecture the rest of us about climate change and virtue-signal their way through the night.
Sure, the Academy says they’ll make the event “dignified” and use it to raise funds for fire relief efforts, but come on. How dignified can it be when everyone’s dripping in diamonds and designer dresses while disaster victims are struggling to figure out where their next meal is coming from? Maybe skip the $10,000 gift bags this year and donate that money to families who’ve lost everything. Just a thought.
To be fair, the Oscars have never been canceled, not even during COVID. They just slapped together a scaled-down ceremony and called it a day. So it’s no surprise that they’re not pulling the plug now. But the sheer tone-deafness of it all is still stunning. California is literally on fire, and instead of considering whether the optics of holding a lavish awards show amid the devastation might not sit well with the public, Hollywood is barreling forward like it’s business as usual.
What’s even more frustrating is that these same celebrities and industry leaders are the first to lecture the rest of us on how to “do better.” They’ll stand on stage in their custom Gucci suits and Stella McCartney gowns, clutching their golden idols, and preach about climate change, government inaction, and whatever the cause du jour might be. But when it comes to actually walking the walk—like, say, canceling or seriously downscaling their ceremony out of respect for wildfire victims? Crickets.
Emily Evans, a #LosAngeles resident and showbiz professional, reflects on the devastating #wildfires that have destroyed 12,000 structures and disrupted #Hollywood’s awards season, with events like the Critics’ Choice Awards and #Oscars Luncheon delayed or canceled. #WNews pic.twitter.com/PlJb9nHiYk
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 14, 2025
So no, the Oscars aren’t going anywhere, and honestly, why would they? Hollywood’s ego knows no bounds. For an industry that loves to tell everyone else how to live, they sure seem to have trouble recognizing when it’s time to take their own advice. And if that means rolling out the red carpet while Californians sift through the ashes of their homes, so be it. After all, nothing says “we care” like diamonds, designer gowns, and a heaping dose of hypocrisy.
