"Not voting in the Oscars this year" — Stephen King suggests the Academy Awards should be canceled this year amid LA fire

Renowned author Stephen King, known for The Shining, It, among others, took to the social media app Bluesky to say that he would not participate in the voting process for the upcoming Oscars, which should be canceled due to the Los Angeles wildfires. Stephen King said,

"Not voting in the Oscars this year. IMHO they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire."

As per The Guardian's January 17, 2025, report, the wildfires have destroyed nearly 12,000 homes and more than 40,000 acres of land. At least 25 people have lost their lives, and more than 100,000 people were evacuated.

The biggest fires, Palisades and Eaton, have not been fully contained. The Eaton fire is 55% contained, and the Palisades fire is 27% contained.

The Academy extended the original Oscar nomination voting period, and the last voting date is January 19, 2025. The nominations, which were supposed to be revealed on January 17, were also delayed. Now, the nominations will be revealed on January 23, 2025.

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Stephen King suggests the Academy Awards should be canceled: the LA Wildfires' effect on Hollywood

Los Angeles Fire: Search and Rescue team look for human remains in ashes of burned houses - Source: Getty

The Los Angeles wildfires affected many celebrities, as their homes burned down. Celebrities like Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton, Madlib, Jhene Aiko, Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Tina Knowles, Anna Farris, Eugene Levy, etc., lost their homes.

This week, many celebrities, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc., came forward to donate to the victims. Taylor Swift shared her thoughts on Instagram stories on January 17, 2025. She also shared a list of organizations she donated to, urging her fans to donate as well. She wrote,

"The fires in California have devastated so many families, and it’s been heartbreaking to see these stories unfold. So much suffering, loss, and destruction."

After the destruction, multiple movie premieres were canceled, and several Hollywood events were postponed or delayed by organizers who expressed safety concerns and shared their condolences with affected victims.

As per The Guardian's January 16, 2025 report, President-elect Donald Trump selected his long-time celebrity supporters, Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight, as his "special ambassadors" who will make Hollywood "stronger than ever before." He wrote on the social media app Truth Social,

"They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!"

He continued,

"These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!"

It is unclear what the "special ambassadors" would do and whether they will be present during Trump's second inauguration on Monday in Washington, D.C.

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Although Stephen King expressed his wish that the 97th Oscars should be canceled, the Academy has not released a cancellation announcement.

Stephen King's multiple literary works have been adapted into movies and television shows. Stephen King's short story The Monkey has been adapted into a movie and will be released in theaters on February 21, 2025. Osgood Perkins directs the movie, and it stars Theo James, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, etc.