Netflix Stops Supporting 'Emilia Pérez's Karla Sofía Gascón Oscar Bid

If Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón had any hope left of becoming the first openly transgender performer to take home the Academy Award for Best Actress, it appears as if Netflix has put the final nail in the coffin of her Oscars campaign. Gascón’s chances of winning were severely damaged after journalist Sarah Hagi uncovered past social media posts by the star that were seen in the eyes of many as being racist and Islamophobic. Despite issuing a lengthy apology on Instagram, however, Netflix has now distanced itself from Gascón, and without the support of the streaming giant, her Oscars fate has all been but sealed.

Per Variety, Netflix is no longer flipping the bill for Gascón’s travel expenses to the various awards shows and dinners that are taking place before the Oscars, nor are they covering the costs of her styling. She was expected to be attending a slew of ceremonies in the coming weeks, including the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, the Directors Guild of America Awards on Saturday, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday.

Now Gascón won’t be appearing at any of them, as she’d have to cover the cost of flying herself from Spain to the United States, as well as the price of her various wardrobes. It’s not like she’s rolling in dough, as Variety reports that she was paid around $100,000 for her role in Emilia Pérez due to being an unknown actress at the time, with few Spanish-language credits to her name. Netflix has also stopped communicating with the star and the PR company representing her, so what little contact they do have left with Gascón is all done through her agent at United Talent Agency.

In addition to cutting off communication with Gascón and tightening the purse strings, Netflix has also scrubbed her image from Emilia Pérez‘s For Your Consideration marketing campaign that targets Oscar voters. Instead, they’ve been highlighting Best Supporting Actress nominee Zoe Saldaña, as well as co-stars Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz, and director Jacques Audiard.

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While Gascón’s chances of winning were never that great to begin with, there were some voters that had planned on throwing their support behind her. That’s not the case anymore, as a few that spoke with Variety on the condition of anonymity said her actions have caused them to rethink their choices. “Damn, I almost felt sorry for her at first, but now I’m like, ‘F**k that,'” came the words of one person, with another hoping that Saldaña’s chances of winning aren’t affected:

“It left a bad taste in people’s mouths. People are allowed to have their opinions, but I don’t want to live in a world where a racist and bigot is highlighted and rewarded. I was going to vote for her because I really did think she was extraordinary, but how could I now? I hope it doesn’t affect Zoe. It really shouldn’t. I don’t think people are that stupid.”

It will all come to a head when the 97th Academy Awards are presented on March 2, 2025. Conan O’Brien is set to host the event, which gets underway at 7pm EST, and will be televised on ABC, and – for the first time in history – streamed simultaneously on Hulu.