- Controversial posts from Karla Sofía Gascón surfaced after Oscar nod
- They were uncovered by the journalist Sarah Hagi
- They included Islamophobia, racism and fatphobia
Karla Sofia Gascón probably didn’t expect her Oscar campaign for Best Actress to end up like this.
The Emilia Pérez star most likely imagined being on cloud nine from now until The 97th Academy Awards, where the Netflix film she stars in is up for 13 awards.
Read more: All about the Emilia Perez controversy
However, instead of basking in the glory of being the first openly transgender actress ever nominated for an Oscar, she is now battling an almighty scandal.
However, she is not backing out, telling CNN, “I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone.”
What did Karla Sofia Gascón do?
Days after the monumental achievement, a series of posts she made between 2019 and 2021 went viral. They raised many an eyebrow after they were identified to contain Islamophobia, homophobia, racism and fatphobia, among other themes.
What did Karla Sofia Gascón say in her tweets?
Gascón’s tweets included a string of offensive comments on a number of topics. These included, but were not limited to, George Floyd, Muslims and the Oscars themselves.
One of the now-deleted tweets read, “Sorry, is it just me or are there more Muslims in Spain? Every time I pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels. Next year instead of English, we’ll have to teach Arabic …”
Of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, Gascón posted, “Honestly, I think that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict swindler, but his death has served to once again demonstrate that there are people who still consider Black people to be … without rights and consider policemen to be assassins. They’re all wrong.”
Of the Academy’s 2021 ceremony, which awarded Nomadland as the Best Picture, she wrote, “More and more the #Oscars are looking like a ceremony for independent and protest films, I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M. Apart from that, an ugly, ugly gala.”
Anything else?
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gascón also took aim at the “Chinese vaccine”.
Along with calling Adele fat, one of the celebs she also directed her ire at was her Emilia Pérez co-star Selena Gomez, dubbing her a “rich rat”. Gascón denies this tweet, alleging it was faked.
The tweet reads, “She’s a rich rat who plays the poor b*****d whenever she can and will never stop bothering her ex-boyfriend (Justin Bieber) and his wife.”
What did Karla Sofia Gascón say after they were unearthed?
After the resurfaced posts went viral, said Gascón she was “deeply sorry to those I have caused pain”. She also deleted her social media account.
“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” Gascón said via Instagram. “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”
Who uncovered the posts?
The journalist Sarah Hagi dug out the posts after noticing some “dog whistles” in Gascón’s tweets.
When asked what prompted her to investigate, Hagi told Variety, I wasn’t paying much attention to her at first, but I’m naturally curious, especially when it comes to public figures and their politics. I saw a tweet in which she used the word “Islamist,” which I found intense.”
What did her co-stars say?
Zoe Saldana, who also appears in the Jacques Audiard film, commented that she was “sad” to see the hateful things her co-star had tweeted.
She said, “It makes me really sad because I don’t support (it), and I don’t have any tolerance for negative rhetoric towards people of any group.”
Zoe Saldaña Responds to 'Emilia Pérez' Costar Karla Sofía Gascon Tweets: "It Makes Me Really Sad Because I Don't Support It" https://t.co/6DP1biVtv2
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 31, 2025
Read more: Is Emilia Perez based on a true story?
Gomez has yet to comment on the scandal nor anyone else connected to the movie.
Has Emilia Pérez been the subject of any other controversies?
The critically acclaimed movie has been the centre of much backlash.
Outside of the resurfaced tweets, Emilia Perez has been accused of being “retrograde” in its depiction of transgender issues. In addition, it has also faced criticism for its depiction of Mexico.
