Emilia Pérez might hold the most 2025 Oscar nominations, but the film has faced quite a bit of backlash and controversy. Now, the movie's lead, Karla Sofía Gascón is in hot water due to some controversial old tweets.
In the lead-up to the upcoming award show, Gascón's old tweets have been making the rounds according to THR, as viewers have pointed out comments she made about George Floyd's murder and Islam, among other topics.
On the matter of George Floyd and his death in 2020, the actress wrote in a tweet that was translated with Google Translate by THR:
Let me get this straight, a guy tries to pass off a counterfeit bill after consuming methamphetamine, an idiot policeman arrives and goes too far in arresting him, killing him, ruining the lives of his family and his colleagues, and turning the guy with the bill into a martyr hero. I truly believe that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict and a hustler, but his death has served to highlight once again that there are those who still consider Black people to be monkeys without rights and those who consider the police to be murderers. All wrong.
According to THR, this was posted a month after his murder in 2020, and it was live earlier today, but it disappeared when it started making the rounds.
Also, in 2020, the actress posted about Muslims who live in Spain, which is where she’s from, writing:
Sorry, is it just my impression or are there more and more Muslims in Spain? Every time I go to pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels. Maybe next year instead of English we’ll have to teach Arabic.
She also wrote about Islam in general, sharing her support for the idea of a ban:
Until we ban religions that go against European values and violate human rights, such as Islam, under the protection of freedom of worship, we will not end part of the huge problem we face. Faith manipulates those who cling to faith.
This caused an outcry from people online, as they called out the Oscar nominee for her words. Many also noted that it was wild that these posts were still up considering the actress is in the middle of a massive Academy Awards campaign.
On X, @KindaHagi posted a long thread of screenshots of Gascón's posts, claiming that it was “so insane” that they’re still up. They wrote, in part:
it’s so insane that karla sofía gascón still has these tweets up. straight up have never seen tweets this racist from someone actively campaigning to win an ACADEMY AWARD. there are more than a dozen…this is all from the star of a movie that is campaigning on its progressive values, you really gotta laugh. stuff like this doesn’t get flagged because you can say whatever you want about muslims, it’s never considered racist. again, this isn’t even all of them i’m not exaggerating when i say there so many tweets. spanning years!! it’s really something else
Reactions to Gascón's posts were intense, as many called the comments racist, like @amuredda, and Islamaphobic, like @bymeg. Meanwhile others, like @AnnieMaLove, are commenting about how this could impact Emilia Pérez’s Oscar chances. And that question is incredibly relevant at the moment too, because of the actress’s recent words about her fellow nominee Fernanda Torres.
While speaking with a Brazilian newspaper (via THR), the actress claimed that “there are people working with Fernanda Torres tearing me and Emilia Pérez down.” However, she later clarified her comments on this matter in a statement to Variety, noting that “Fernanda has been a wonderful ally, and no one directly associated with her has been anything but supportive and hugely generous.” After backlash for this, the Academy ruled that she had not violated any rules.
Notably, Gascón is the first trans actor to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, and if she wins it would be historic. Her film that’s available with a Netflix subscription also has 12 other nominations, and it has been a frontrunner throughout awards season. However, Emilia Pérez has faced quite a bit of other controversy outside of this issue, and many viewers do not like the film, specifically noting issues with the way Mexican and trans people are represented.
It’s unknown how this developing controversial situation will impact the Oscars, Emilia Pérez and Gascón. However, as we approach The Academy Awards March 2 air date on the 2025 TV schedule, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
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