Fact Check: Oscar Awards Ceremony On March 2, No Plans To Cancel

Several stars lost their houses in the recent Los Angeles wildfires. The cozy homes of a few celebrities were gutted in the fire that spread to Pacific Palisades and Eaton. Amidst this havoc, there are rumors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences contemplating to cancel the 97th Oscars ceremony, scheduled to be held in Hollywood on March 2.

UK tabloid The Sun posted a story about the same to its website which gained traction as Drudge Report picked and published it with a headline: “OSCARS THREAT Oscars 2025 on verge of being cancelled as bosses secretly plot major changes to ceremony after LA wildfires”.

The report claimed that “A secret contingency strategy is in place for the March 3rd Awards to be called off”. There is no truth in the statement as the date of the event itself has been mentioned wrong.

Further, it went on to state that the Oscar awards ceremony is on the verge of being cancelled for the first time in its 96-year history. The Official Academy Award committees, led by A-listers — Tom Hanks, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep and Steven Speilberg, are monitoring the situation daily.

The Hollywood Reporter investigated into the report and spoke to the senior representatives of the Academy and other individuals close to the some of the veteran stars. It found that there was no such plan to cancel the event and also no such advisory committee existing in the Academy.

It is worth noting that the only panel suggesting on the functioning of the Academy is the organisation’s 55-person board of governors, which does not include individuals listed by The Sun. Moreover, the Academy panel announced on Monday that the date of the Oscars ceremony will not be changed.

The board includes four individuals who lost their homes in the fires. In the wake of this situation, the Board extended the Oscar nominations voting window, pushed back the announcement of the Oscar nominations, cancelled this year’s Oscar Nominees Luncheon and even postponed the Scientific and Technical Awards.

It is also known that any change to the Oscars ceremony would need significant consultation between the Academy and its longtime broadcasting partner ABC.

The Academy and ABC are of the opinion that the show should go on, in a dignified manner that would aid in raising funds for and celebrate fire relief works.

It should be remembered that the Oscars ceremony has never been cancelled even during the Covid-19 pandemic, except that it was slightly postponed and then held in a pared-down manner.

The Oscars will be held as per the schedule on March 2, 2025.