Bill Maher Blames “Cancel Culture” for ‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscars Snub

Bill Maher once again put “cancel culture” on blast during a conversation on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday with David Sedaris.

Bill Maher, the HBO host and comedian, highlighted the changing nature of “cancel culture,” citing the impact of the Karla Sofía Gascón scandal on Emilia Pérez’s loss at the Oscars, which he referred to as a positive turn of events for Anora.

Maher pointed out the reality of cancel culture by referencing the Oscars incident, stating, “There are people who say cancel culture isn’t a real thing and I would say to them, ‘It just happened at the Oscars.’ The movie that was expected to win everything was Emilia Pérez.”

Maher noted that “Hollywood loved” the idea of having a trans person win the Best Actress category and make history.

Additionally, Maher commented on Gascón’s tweets, noting a childish quality to them and likening them to Kanye West’s unfiltered style of expression, where thoughts are shared without filter.

Commenting on the content of Gascón’s tweets, Maher advised, “Just don’t mention Hitler. I feel like it never comes out good.” He went on to acknowledge that while some of Gascón’s remarks were “very, very honest,” they were too extreme for the “woke community.”

Maher continued, “And this movie, that was going to win it all, it was the front-runner, and she was going to get all… suddenly was out to lunch. And good news for Anora. That’s what happened. So yes, cancel culture is still with us. It may just be a little more subtle.”

Despite the controversy, Gascón attended the Oscars, although she had previously skipped most award shows following the fallout over resurfaced social media posts where she made offensive comments about Muslims and the Black Lives Matter movement.

After facing public backlash, Gascón issued an apology, saying, “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.”

Anora ended up taking home the night’s top awards, including Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay, and Film Editing. Mikey Madison won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Anora, while Gascón was competing in that same category. Emilia Pérez, which had led with 13 Oscar nominations, did win an award when Zoe Saldaña received the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.