The Oscars 2025 nominations are here, and Emilia Pérez has already secured her place in history. This French-made, Spanish-language musical about a Mexican drug cartel leader is not just Jacques Audiard’s boldest yet — it is also his most successful. And with great success comes some controversy. From industry insiders to awards voters, critics, and moviegoers, opinions about the film have been very divided from the get-go. And just when it seemed it could not get more divisive, Karla Sofia Gascón pushed the conversation to a whole new level.

Gascón, who plays the titular role in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, made headlines by becoming the first openly transgender actor to earn an Academy Award nomination. But she recently found herself at the center of a storm after claiming that Fernanda Torres, another Oscar nominee for I’m Still Here, and her team have been spreading negative comments about her and Emilia Pérez. Gascón's statements went against a key Academy rule that prohibits nominees from criticizing their competition ahead of the ceremony.

Soon after the backlash, in a follow-up statement to Variety, Gascón walked back some of her comments, saying they were not aimed at Torres or her inner circle but were meant to call out the “toxicity and violent hate speech” she has been seeing on social media. Despite the clarification, the damage may already be done. Fans are now calling for Emilia Pérez to be pulled from the Oscar race entirely.

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Considering the movie was already polarizing to begin with, Gascón’s remarks have only added fuel to the fire.

Ever since Emilia Pérez landed its Oscar nominations — and with such a strong showing — many critics have been quick to voice their concerns. The movie's critics' scores have been surprisingly low. In fact, if Emilia Pérez manages to win the top award at the 2025 Oscars, it will be the lowest-rated Best Picture winner since Crash back in 2006. And now Karla Sofia Gascón has given critics even more reason to push the film out of the Oscar race.

Fans have also come forward to explain why they think Emilia Pérez does not deserve an Oscar at all.

With 13 nominations in total, it is hard to imagine Emilia Pérez leaving the ceremony empty-handed. Zoe Saldaña has already won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, but even that category is stacked with tough competition, including Ariana Grande’s much-loved portrayal of Glinda in Wicked. Now whether Emilia Pérez manages to bag any of the major awards is something we will have to wait and see.

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What do you think about Karla Sofia Gascón's controversy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!