- Jean Smart urges award shows not to be televised after deadly wildfires
- Hacks star thinks revenue ought to be donated to victims
- Flames have killed at least five and forced thousands to flee their homes
Award shows are a bad look after the devasting California wildfires, according to Hacks star Jean Smart.
The recent Golden Globe winner has called on the executives behind the ceremonies to think about not televising the spectacles. She has urged them to donate to victims and relief efforts.
As of writing, five people have been officially recorded to have lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands have been ordered to leave their homes.
Smart wrote on Instagram, “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.”
Which award shows did Jean Smart call out?
She did not name any particular award shows, but there are a number of upcoming ones. These include the SAG Awards, set to take place on 23 February.
The fires hindered their nomination announcement. Instead of a live stream hosted by Cooper Koch and Joey King, the nods were announced via press release.
The Oscars are due to take place on 2 March. However, they have already been impacted by the fires.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences extended the window for nominations by two days. They had 12 January as the original closing date but voting will now end on 14 January.
Additionally, the nomination announcement day was also held back by two days. It will now be on 19 January.
“We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California so many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you,” The Academy’s CEO Bill Kramer said in an email seen by Variety.
When did the fires start?
The wildfires began on 7 January and show no sign of stopping anytime soon. Firefighters have struggled in the battle to hold back the flames.
Fires are a typical feature of life in Southern California. This is largely due to the Santa Ana winds sparking dry conditions on the ground.
However, due to a lack of rain and their ever-increasing encroachment into residential areas, these are proving to be more dangerous than the others over the years.
Experts have warned the climate crisis has contributed to their ever-increasing extreme nature.
Read more: The Pacific Palisades fires took these stars homes
Among the more than 130,000 people who were told to leave their homes, some are well-known faces. Stars such as Paris Hilton, Jamie Lee Curtis and Adam Brody have seen their neighbourhoods destroyed.
