BREAKING: ‘Racist’ Transgender actress Karla Sofía Gascón’s Historic Best Actress Nomination Marred by a Miserable Evening at the 2025 Oscars as she states ‘I Never Meant to Offend Anyone’

Karla Sofía Gascón’s Oscars Night: A Historic Nomination Marred by Controversy and Isolation

March 3, 2025 – Last night, the 97th Academy Awards unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, a glittering celebration of cinematic achievement overshadowed for one nominee by a storm of controversy. Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly transgender woman nominated for Best Actress for her role in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, arrived at the ceremony with high hopes but left with what many are calling a miserable evening. Her historic nomination, once a beacon of progress, was eclipsed by a resurfaced scandal over old social media posts branded as racist, antisemitic, and xenophobic, turning her Oscars experience into a night of isolation and scrutiny.

Gascón, who had kept a low profile in the weeks leading up to the March 2, 2025, event, notably skipping the SAG and Critics Choice Awards amid backlash, made a discreet entrance. Eschewing the traditional red carpet fanfare, she slipped directly into the auditorium, dressed in a long, black, beaded gown—a stark contrast to the vibrant spotlight she might have anticipated months earlier. Inside, she took a seat near her Emilia Pérez co-star Selena Gomez, but the evening quickly underscored the cost of her past remarks.

The controversy began in late January when journalist Sarah Hagi unearthed years-old tweets from Gascón’s now-deactivated X account. The posts included inflammatory comments about Muslims, George Floyd, and diversity at the Oscars, sparking widespread outrage. Despite her apologies—including a statement to CNN where she expressed being “deeply sorry” and a later Instagram post vowing silence to let the film “stand on its own”—the damage was done. Netflix distanced itself from her campaign, and director Jacques Audiard publicly called her remarks “inexcusable,” leaving Gascón to navigate the fallout largely alone.

The Oscars telecast itself didn’t shy away from the elephant in the room. Host Conan O’Brien, in his opening monologue, took a pointed jab: “I loved Anora. Little fact for you, Anora uses the f-word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist. ‘You tweeted what?!’” The audience laughed, but for Gascón, seated in the crowd, it was a public reminder of her fall from grace. “I came here to honor the work, not to be a punchline,” she later told a reporter outside the venue, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “It’s been an intense night, and I just want to move forward.”

Though Emilia Pérez led the night with 13 nominations, Gascón’s Best Actress bid ended in defeat, with the award going to Mikey Madison for Anora. Her co-star Zoe Saldaña, however, clinched Best Supporting Actress, a bittersweet victory for the film amid its tarnished campaign. Gascón was seen sharing a brief moment with Gomez during the show, but reports suggest she spent much of the evening isolated, with few industry peers engaging her directly—a stark contrast to the applause she received earlier in the season at Cannes, where she and her castmates won a collective acting prize.

The night capped a tumultuous awards season for Gascón, whose performance as a Mexican cartel boss undergoing gender transition had once positioned her as a frontrunner. Instead, it became a cautionary tale about the unforgiving lens of public scrutiny in the digital age. As the Oscars closed, Gascón’s journey—historic yet humbled—left a lingering question: can talent triumph over past transgressions, or will this evening mark the end of her Hollywood moment?