‘Emilia Perez’ star Karla Sofia Gascon to attend Oscars ceremony amid social media controversy

Karla Sofía Gascón, seen here in Los Angeles in October, is planning to attend the Academy Awards on March 2, 2025. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

“Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón is planning to attend the Academy Awards on Sunday, in spite of the backlash she has faced after offensive comments she posted on social media resurfaced and effectively derailed her history-making Oscar campaign.

A source told CNN that Netflix is paying for Gascón’s travel and expenses, since she has decided to attend the Oscars, which she was invited to in light of her nomination in the best actress category. (Covering expenses at award shows for all nominees is customary for any film studio.)

Netflix did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

It is unclear whether Gascón will walk the red carpet or give interviews, the source said. It is also not yet determined, the source added, where she will be seated inside the ceremony.

Typically, the cast of nominated films are seated close together. But in the wake of Gascón’s resurfaced tweets, “Emilia Pérez’s” director Jacques Audiard condemned her and co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez have had to address the scandal in interviews.

A source familiar with the film’s campaign previously told CNN that in an effort to salvage the film’s overall Oscar chances, Netflix had actively distanced itself from Gascón.

CNN has reached out to the Academy for comment.

Gascón made history in January with her lead actress Oscar nomination for her performance in “Emilia Pérez,” becoming the first openly transgender actress nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.

“Emilia Pérez” is this year’s most-nominated film, earning 13 nominations, including nods for best picture and supporting actress for frontrunner Saldaña.

Gascón has not attended any award shows or key stops on the campaigning circuit since her controversy erupted, effectively ending her own campaign and raising concerns over “Emilia Pérez’s” chances in other key races.

Gascón was noticeably absent from the SAG Awards and the Critics Choice Awards – both shows of which nominated her in the lead acting category – as well as several Guild awards that a source told CNN she was originally scheduled to attend prior to the controversy.

The NY Post was the first to report about Gascón’s plans to attend the Oscar ceremony.

Apology campaign

In January, Gascón faced criticism after a journalist shared screenshots of some of her old social media posts that were Islamophobic, critical of George Floyd and disparaging of the 2021 Academy Awards ceremony that was held after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gascón has since deactivated her X account.

In an interview with CNN en Español’s Juan Carlos Arciniegas earlier this month, Gascón apologized for her comments but said at the time that she “cannot step down” from the Oscars race.

“I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone,” Gascón told CNN. “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”

Netflix hasn’t formally addressed the controversy but the streamer’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria said the ordeal is “a bummer for a lot of the people” involved, including the crew and the film’s stars Saldaña and Gomez, during a recent episode of “The Town” podcast.

Audiard, the French director of “Emilia Pérez,” distanced himself from Gascón in an interview with Deadline, saying that he has not spoken to the actress since her comments came to light and that he did not plan to get in touch with her “because right now she needs space to reflect and take accountability for her actions.”

He added that news surrounding her “absolutely hateful” and “inexcusable” comments were “taking up all the space, and that makes me very sad.”

Saldaña, who won the Golden Globe and SAG award for her role in the film, also said that she was “very sad” and “disappointed” by her costar’s comments while appearing on a recent episode of Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, adding that she does “not support any negative rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards any group of people.”

Saldaña said that based on her own experience filming the movie, she knows the cast, crew and filmmakers were “all about inclusivity and collaboration and equality of all sorts, and so it’s sad that we are here.”

Audiard’s comments prompted Gascón to post a new statement on her Instagram page earlier this month.

Next to a photo of the entire “Emilia Pérez” cast, Gascón wrote that she has decided “for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself.”

“I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way,” Gascón concluded.

By Elizabeth Wagmeister and Alli Rosenbloom, CNN