Why does Stephen King want the Oscars to be canceled? Details explored

Stephen King is not in favor of the Oscars taking place this year. The acclaimed writer and filmmaker wants the awards ceremony to be canceled in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 2, 2025. Stephen is one of the several celebrities who have vouched for the cancellation of the event this year, considering the devastating effect of the natural disaster that has claimed several lives and burnt a significant portion of LA County.

However, the organizers, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have decided to go ahead with the event. Meanwhile, they have extended the voting deadline and have postponed the nominations announcement to January 23, 2025. Stephen has taken to his social media handle to blast the decision and revealed he would not even be voting in the Oscars this time.

Stephen King wants Oscars 2025 to be canceled due to the LA wildfires

Stephen King took to the social media platform Bluesky to express his disappointment over the Oscars being held on the scheduled date, at a time when Los Angeles fires are wreaking havoc across the county and have also impacted several members of the film fraternity. The author wrote:

“Not voting in the Oscars this year. IMHO they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.”

However, his opinion was challenged by some who believe the awards are a celebration of life, and the organizers have already pledged to help the victims of the wildfire. To this, Stephen replied he is not willing to wear a fancy suit and enjoy an event while his city burns:

“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.”

Apart from Stephen King, several other celebs are also asking The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to cancel the ceremony this year. These include Severance actress Patricia Arquette, and Hacks actress Jean Smart.

Stephen’s voice does hold weight as he has been a significant part of the entertainment industry for decades. The author has earned the title of the 'King of Horror' for his work in the horror genre. He has served as a writer on films like The Dead Zone, The Stand, Storm of the Century, and The X-Files.

The Oscars 2025 nominations announcement has been delayed

While the awards ceremony has not been canceled or delayed yet, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has postponed the nominations announcement event twice. It was initially supposed to take place on January 17, 2025, but was later moved to January 19 and then to January 23, 2025.

Meanwhile, the Nominees Luncheon has been canceled. The annual event was set to happen on February 10, 2025. The organizers will now donate $250,000 for relief efforts for the wildfire victims, instead of spending the amount on the luncheon.

Apart from the Oscars, another major award ceremony, the Grammys, is also going to take place on its scheduled date of February 2, 2025, despite earlier reports stating that the event would get postponed

The Los Angeles wildfires have been burning since January 7, 2025, leading to the loss of human lives and over 40,000 acres of land. The Palisades neighborhood, where the fires began, remains the most affected.

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Oscars 2025 will take place on March 2, 2025, at 7 PM ET/4 PM ET, and will air live on ABC.

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