Iconic horror author and far-left activist Stephen King is calling for the Academy Awards to be cancelled amid the wildfires still raging through the Los Angeles area.
With more than 12,000 structures obliterated by the wildfires that hit the city in the last few weeks, not to mention the two dozen killed and tens of thousands displaced, King thinks this is the wrong time to hold a glitzy awards ceremony.
The author of The Shining jumped to his BlueSky account on Wednesday to tell fans he was not even going to vote in this year’s Oscars.
“Not voting in the Oscars this year. IMHO they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.,” he wrote on January 15.
Not voting in the Oscars this year. IMHO they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.
— Stephen King (@stephenking.bsky.social) January 15, 2025 at 9:44 AM
In another post, King urged Hollywood to cancel the big party altogether.
“I hear what you guys are saying about the Oscars, and how they’re a celebration of life, and the show must go on, blah-blah-blah, so-on-and-so-forth,” King wrote in a Friday post on the small social media outlet.
“It all makes a degree of sense, but to me it still feels like Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Or in this case, wearing fancy clothes while LA burns,” he added.
I hear what you guys are saying about the Oscars, and how they’re a celebration of life, and the show must go on, blah-blah-blah, so-on-and-so-forth. It all makes a degree of sense, but to me it still feels like Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Or in this case, wearing fancy clothes while LA burns.
— Stephen King (@stephenking.bsky.social) January 17, 2025 at 7:17 AM
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had already moved to push the Oscars back by delaying nominations and extending the voting period as the city deals with the impact of the fires. The Academy added that the nominations will now be announced on January 23 and voting will be pushed back to close on January 15.
Others have also called for changes to the Oscars in the aftermath of the fires. Actress Jean Smart, for instance, said that the TV networks broadcasting the show should donate 100 percent of their revenue to wildfire victims and firefighters.
“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,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
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