From Adele to George Floyd: Karla Sofia Gascon tweets controversy explained as backlash against Emilia Perez actress intensifies

Oscar-nominated actor Karla Sofia Gascon responded to Variety after old racist tweets resurfaced. The Emilia Perez star had shared controversial opinions about Muslims, George Floyd, and Black people between 2020 and 2021.

Journalist Sarah Hagi exposed the tweets, which have since been deleted. The backlash comes as the Netflix film faces heavy criticism.

“I truly believe that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict and a hustler, but his death has served to highlight once again that there are those who still consider black people to be monkeys without rights and those who consider the police to be murderers. All wrong," she had said.

The actress also seemingly body-shamed singer Adele in a tweet by tweeting:

“COVID passed, and she went overboard with the sleeves, or she went under the knife and they didn’t remove the skin from her arms.”

Karla Sofia Gascon is the first openly-trans actress to ever be nominated for an Academy Award. Back in 2021, Gascon slammed the Oscars by saying:

“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.”

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Karla Sofia Gascon allegedly called out Muslims and Islam in resurfaced racist tweets

Back in November 2020, Gascon took to X to comment on the supposedly increased population of Islamic people in Spain. She said:

“Every time I go to 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.”

In September 2020, Karla Sofia Gascon commented on burkas worn by Muslim women. She said that women are given a “little squared hold” to view the world “but only if she behaves.” Gascon said- “Although they dress this way for their own enjoyment. How DEEPLY DISGUSTING OF HUMANITY.”

In January 2021, Karla Sofia Gascon opined that Islam failed to comply with international rights and that the religion must be banned. She also tweeted the same year:

“I am so sick of so much of this sh*t, of islam, of christianity, of catholicism and of all the f**king beliefs of morons that violate human rights.”

In another tweet seemingly aimed at Chinese people that she posted during the Covid-19 pandemic, Gascon said in 2020:

“The Chinese vaccine, apart from the mandatory chip, comes with two spring rolls, a cat that moves its hand, 2 plastic flowers, a pop-up lantern, 3 telephone lines and one euro for your first controlled purchase.”

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Karla Sofia Gascon apologizes for racist remarks

The actress who won the Best Actress Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year released a statement with Variety on January 30 to apologize for her earlier remarks. She said:

“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. 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.”

Meanwhile, Gascon’s Emilia Parez, which has been nominated for 13 Oscars, faced criticism from both the LGBTQ+ community and Mexico, where the film is set. Non-profit organization Glaad called the movie “a profoundly retrograde portrayal of trans woman” and “a step backward” especially considering the alleged Mexican stereotypes portrayed in the film.

The movie is available to watch on streaming platforms, including Prime Video and Netflix, depending on the country.