At the 2017 Oscars, when “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner over “Moonlight,” then first-term President Donald Trump blamed the epic blunder on Hollywood’s fixation with him. He suggested that the stars were too distracted by criticizing his administration to properly reveal the final award of the night.
“They were focused so hard on politics that they didn’t get the act together at the end. It was a little sad. It took away from the glamour of the Oscars,” Trump said in an interview back in February 2017, about a month after his first inauguration.
Mobilizing against Trump seemed en vogue during Hollywood’s first award season after the 2016 election, as many artists vocalized their opposition to White House policies at the time. (Meryl Streep’s speech at the 2017 Golden Globes prompted Trump to call her “one of the most overrated actresses” in Hollywood.)
Sunday’s Academy Awards, arriving five weeks after the start of Trump’s second term, are poised to be less political. Make no mistake, the president likely has few fans in the room of A-listers who will gather in the Dolby Theater. But talk of Trump has waned at recent entertainment events.
With the backdrop of devastating fires that ravaged Los Angeles, award season this year has been centered around coming together. The Grammys set the tone as the first show to air after the wildfires, the SAG Awards followed with a focus on first responders and the Oscars are also set to raise funds towards fire relief efforts.
This year’s Oscars host – Conan O’Brien – may be the most obvious deviation from a Trump-infused ceremony that was all but guaranteed with former host Jimmy Kimmel, who emceed twice during Trump’s first term and two more times as Trump was campaigning for reelection.
Kimmel, one of Trump’s biggest Hollywood antagonists, regularly condemns the president on his late-night show and poked fun at Trump’s legal woes and social media posts at the last Oscars. Trump took notice.
“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,” Trump pondered – provoking the comedian to read Trump’s post onstage during the live television broadcast, asking, “Isn’t it past your jail time” (Later, Kimmel admitted that producers advised against bit, but he did it anyway.)
O’Brien’s comedy typically does not delve into politics. In fact, that was partly why O’Brien was selected as host this year, according to the Academy’s CEO, who recently sat down with CNN.
“He’s a lovely person, number one. He’s a humanist. He’s apolitical,” the Academy’s CEO, Bill Kramer, told CNN when asked what makes O’Brien the perfect host.
Kramer also told CNN, in no uncertain terms, that he is aiming for a politics-free telecast.
“Absolutely,” the CEO responded when asked if he wants the Oscars to steer clear of politics on Sunday night.
Of course, what a winner or presenter decides to say onstage is ultimately up the them. Throughout Hollywood history, acceptance speeches at the Academy Awards have been known as a platform for entertainers to make political or social statements – from Marlon Brando to Patricia Arquette to Michelle Williams.
“We do talk to them about keeping things focused on the work, but this is really a moment for the artist to have for themselves,” Kramer said, addressing guidelines that are given to nominees and presenters.
Several of this year’s nominated films do, however, embody political themes: “The Brutalist” is an immigration story; “A Real Pain” revisits the horrors of the Holocaust; the titular character in “Emilia Pérez” undergoes gender-affirming procedures; “Wicked” explores themes of self-discovery and standing up to authoritarian leaders; and “The Apprentice” is quite literally about Trump.
Among the frontrunner acting nominees – Zoe Saldaña, Kieran Culkin, Demi Moore, Timothée Chalamet and Adrien Brody – none of their acceptance speeches this award cycle have been overtly political. While there are outspoken Hollywood stars scheduled to present on Sunday, including Rachel Zegler, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller and Oprah Winfrey, time restrictions typically prevent presenters from veering off-script.
It’s not that artists will ignore causes they deem important if they get to the podium, but mentions of Trump by name seem unlikely. For example, at the Grammys earlier this month, Lady Gaga spoke to the trans community, Alicia Keys supported DEI efforts and Shakira dedicated her award to immigrants. All of their messaging was delivered in a hopeful fashion, rather than a direct attack on the White House.
That said, sometimes the most impassioned speeches come from the least famous winners at the Oscars, like last year’s acceptance speech from “Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer, who condemned Israel’s war in Gaza, resulting in a flurry of controversy afterword.
The red carpet is where politics, potentially, could be more visibly on display on Sunday evening – if entertainers choose to wear either Artists4Ceasefire pins to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza or yellow ribbon pins to honor Israeli hostages.
Save for an anticipated activist like Jane Fonda, who gave a rousing speech this past weekend at the SAG Awards, a major political bombshell would be somewhat of a surprise on Hollywood’s biggest night.
But anything is possible. The Oscars are live TV, after all, and the president has shown he likes to weigh in.
