Stephen King announced on his Bluesky profile that he will not be voting for the Oscars this year due to the L.A. fires. He also believes the Oscars ceremony should be canceled amid the devastation in Los Angeles. The show remains set for Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
“Not voting in the Oscars this year. IMHO they should cancel them,” King wrote on Bluesky. “No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.”
In the wake of the L.A. fires, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to extend the Oscars voting period and delay the nominations announcement until Thursday, Jan. 22. The nominations were originally going to be announced on Jan. 17. The Academy has also canceled the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon, initially scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10. The organization said it plans to the reallocate $250,000 from the nominees luncheon to wildfire relief donation efforts.
Shortly after the fires first broke out, “Hacks” Emmy winner Jean Smart took to Instagram to urge TV networks to “seriously consider” not airing any award shows during “Hollywood’s season of celebration,” and instead donate the revenue to first responders and L.A. fire victims.
“Attention! With ALL due respect, during Hollywood’s season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have garnered to victims of the fires and the firefighters,” Smart wrote.
But not everyone agrees with King and Smart’s take. Rosanna Arquette recently spoke to Variety about why the Oscars should not cancel the 2025 ceremony.
“This year, it’s not just about celebrating art,” she said. “It’s about using art to rebuild, inspire and help those who need it most. I woke up the other night thinking, ‘What if we did a Jerry Lewis-style telethon but integrated it with the Oscars?’ Imagine Billy Crystal opening the show. He lost his home, but he’s the perfect person to unite the room, to remind us of what we can achieve together.”
Arquette originally shared her thoughts on Bluesky, writing: “I’d love to see the Sag awards and Oscar and Grammys this year turn the shows into telethons to raise money for the community, the city of Los Angeles, for families who’ve lost their homes and pets and life’s memories and for our beloved fire fighters that have saved lives.”
The Grammys have already announced its 2025 ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 2 as planned but with significant charity elements added in order to raise money for those affected by the L.A. fires. It’s unclear if there will be a glitzy red carpet as usual.
