Stephen King Says Oscars Should be Canceled: ‘No Glitz with Los Angeles on Fire’

Stephen King is not interested in submitting a ballot for this year’s Academy Awards and called for the whole event to be canceled amidst the ongoing devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires.

On Blue Sky, King wrote, “Not voting in the Oscars this year. IMHO they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.”

King’s comment follows a similar one from Hacks star Jean Smart, who touched on the dissonance between the ongoing fires and Hollywood’s awards season. “I hope any of the networks television 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,” she wrote. 

The fires have already prompted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to push back the announcement of this year’s nominees. The nominations were supposed to be revealed tomorrow, Jan. 17, but they’re now scheduled to be announced next Thursday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 a.m. PT. 

The Academy has also canceled its annual luncheon, which was scheduled to take place Feb. 10. And the organization has donated $750,000 to the Motion Picture and Television Fund to help those affected by the fires. 

But it’s highly unlikely that the Oscars — set to take place March 2 — will be called off completely. Academy CEO Bill Kramer issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times earlier this week saying that the organization believes it “must go forward to support our film community and to use our global platform to bring attention to these critical moments in our history.” 

Kramer added that this year’s ceremony will feature “special moments acknowledging those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.” He added: “The spirit of Los Angeles and our film community has always been one of resilience, and the Oscars represent not just a celebration of film, but the industry’s strength and unity in the face of adversity.”

With the fires still raging, arguably of more immediate concern is the 2025 Grammy Awards, which are set to take place on Feb. 2. Some industry events have already been canceled, while others have been repurposed to focus more on relief efforts. The main show, however, is still set to proceed as planned.