Bestselling author Stephen King has called for the cancellation of the 2025 Oscars amid the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed at least 25 people.
As two major blazes continue to burn across Altadena and Pacific Palisades, the American writer, known as the King of Horror, revealed that he is staunchly opposed to the Academy Awards continuing as usual while Southern California battles one of its most destructive natural disasters in history.
Out of respect for the thousands of heartbroken families that lost their homes and businesses or are displaced due to evacuation orders, the Portland native, 77, took to Bluesky to reveal he was ‘not voting in the Oscars this year.’
‘IMHO [in my humble opinion] they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire,’ the novelist, who has sold more than 400 million books worldwide, wrote on the platform, which he joined after recently deleting X.
His post received more than 45,100 likes in 24 hours and sparked debate among his fans, who were divided over whether the show should continue to go on.
Bestselling author Stephen King has called for the cancellation of the 2025 Oscars amid the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed at least 25 people; seen in 2024
‘Please reconsider. The Oscars are over a month away. I think by then it could be helpful to proceed with it. LA took a huge hit,’ one replied. ‘The Oscars could be a vehicle to raise funds and lift spirits. The arts are important, both in good times AND bad.’
‘The city needs them – even if you don’t. They employ a lot of people and help to support and promote one of our biggest industries. Whining about the Oscars is doing the exact opposite of supporting our city,’ another wrote.
A third said ‘America needs a good distraction from all the pain and suffering we’re going through on a daily basis.’
A fourth pointed out: ‘Totally understand that view. I do want to note however, that the events/afterparties are super helpful to the LA economy. There are servers, drivers, glam teams, carpenters – the list goes on. All these very middle & working class people will be out of expected work if the shows are cancelled.’
Others agreed with King or should be rescheduled since ‘many of these workers live in the satellite cities to Hollywood-like Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre & Monrovia.’
Earlier this week, the Academy announced the cancellation of the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon, scheduled for February 10.
According to Variety, ‘the Academy will reallocate $250,000 from the nominees luncheon to donate to the wildfire relief efforts of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, bringing its total contribution to $1 million.’
While the Academy Awards are still scheduled for March 2, Oscar nominations were delayed to Thursday, January, 23.
As the two major blazes continue to burn across Altadena and Pacific Palisades, the American writer, known as the King of Horror, revealed that he is staunchly opposed to the Academy Awards continuing as usual while Southern California battles one of its most destructive natural disasters in history (Palisades Fire seen above on January 7, 2025)
Out of respect for the thousands of heartbroken families that lost their homes and businesses or are displaced due to evacuation orders, the Portland native, 77, took to Bluesky to reveal he was ‘not voting in the Oscars this year’
The Academy previously offered a two-day extension to the voting window ‘to give members more time to cast their ballots’, pushing back the nominations announcement until January 19 as thousands were evacuated from their homes.
On Monday, chief executive Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang confirmed nominations for the 97th Oscars will be rescheduled until January 23 in a virtual event ‘without in-person media coverage’.
‘We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,’ a joint statement said.
‘The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.
‘Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.’
His post received more than 45,100 likes in 24 hours and sparked debate among his fans, who were divided over whether the show should continue to go on
The Oscars ceremony remains scheduled for Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood; Emma
Stone pictured accepting her Oscar in 2024
The Oscars ceremony remains scheduled for Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
‘Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry,’ the joint statement added.
‘We also look forward to honouring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognising those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts.
‘We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.’
The fires have thrown Hollywood’s awards season into disarray, with the Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild Awards nominations among the events postponed.
Meanwhile the screening of a new Netflix series starring the Duchess of Sussex, which sees her inviting friends and famous guests to a California estate, was also postponed amid the fires.
Earlier this week on Monday, it was revealed that the voting period has been extended to January 17 – after previously being postponed to January 14. The announcement of the nominations will now take place on January 23
The eight-part series Love, Meghan, which will see the former actress share cooking, gardening and hosting tips, will now premiere on March 4 instead of January 15.
The duchess said in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix: ‘I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.’
She and her husband, the Duke of Sussex, hugged residents and spoke to emergency crews at a meal distribution site for people affected by the fires on Friday.
The sweeping fires in California have killed 24 people, ravaged communities, and sent thousands frantically fleeing their properties, including areas dotted with celebrity homes.
The 97th Oscars are schedule to take place March 2 – and hosted by comedian and TV personality, Conan O’Brien; seen in 2023 in NYC
Actors Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are among the Hollywood stars who have lost their homes.
US reality star Paris Hilton launched an emergency fund to support families who have been displaced, kickstarting it with a personal donation of 100,000 US dollars (£82,000) after she watched her Malibu home ‘burn to the ground on live TV.’
The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, talk show host Ricki Lake, and songwriter Diane Warren have also lost properties, with reports that Sir Anthony Hopkins’ home burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades fire.
US actress Jennifer Garner was among the stars volunteering, providing food relief for evacuees and the emergency services, working alongside World Central Kitchen founder chef Jose Andres at one of the charity’s pop-up locations around California.
Rory Sykes, a British-born former child star who was blind and had cerebral palsy, also ‘died needlessly’ in the Los Angeles wildfires, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes.
She told Australian TV channel Network 10 he died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
