Karla Sofia Gascon has announced she will be skipping the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, where she had been nominated for her role in Emilia Pérez. The Spanish actress is also reportedly missing the Producers Guild Awards following a wave of controversy surrounding her past social media posts.

Here is why Gascon is not attending the Critics Choice Awards.

Why is Karla Sofia Gascon not attending Critics Choice Awards?

Karla Sofia Gascon has reportedly decided to skip the 2025 Critics Choice Awards amid backlash over resurfaced social media posts. The Emilia Perez star, who was set to attend the February 7 ceremony in Los Angeles, has also withdrawn from the Producers Guild Awards on February 8, where she was scheduled to present.

Gascon has been facing backlash since journalist Sarah Hagi shared screenshots of past posts attributed to her. Some screenshots comprised comments about Muslim culture, George Floyd, and diversity. While criticism has increased, Gascon has refused to distance herself from her historic Academy Award nomination. This nomination makes her the first openly transgender actor to be recognized in the Best Actress category.

On February 4, she addressed the controversy on Instagram, claiming her words had been misrepresented. She wrote, “I will never support wars, religious extremism, or the oppression of races and peoples.” In a later interview with CNN en Español, she firmly stated, “I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone. I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”

Despite the controversy, Gascon remains in the running for Best Actress. The other nominees are Cynthia Erivo, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, and Fernanda Torres. Meanwhile, Emilia Perez, which is now available on Netflix, has secured 13 Oscar nominations.