The Oscars, which has been a significant event in Hollywood for 96 years, might get canceled this year because of the destructive wildfires in Los Angeles.

The Academy Award committees, chaired by esteemed figures like Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, and Emma Stone, are closely monitoring the evolving situation and are facing an unprecedented challenge.

A secret ‘contingency strategy’ is reportedly in place for the March 3rd awards ceremony to be called off, as per the U.S. Sun. 

There’s a growing concern that proceeding with the glitzy Oscars 2025 ceremony could be seen as tone-deaf given the recent destruction. 

According to an insider, the main focus of the board currently is to avoid appearing insensitive by celebrating while many residents of Los Angeles are going through immense suffering and loss.

‘And certainly, even if the fires went out in the next week, the reality is that the city is still hurting and will be dealing with that pain for months,’ the insider added. 

Hollywood’s biggest night, the Oscars, may be canceled for the first time in its 96-year history due to the devastating wildfires raging across Los Angeles 

The show faces an unprecedented crisis as official Academy Award committees, led by A-listers including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, and Emma Stone are monitoring the situation daily; Hanks seen with his Oscar in 1994

‘So the hierarchy decided that the focus will be support and fundraising when the right opportunities present themselves.’

The insider added that ‘the very thought of having a waiter, a poorly paid innocent who has lost their home, serving delicate Wagyu burgers and sliced cucumber sandwiches to multi-millionaire movie stars doesn’t exactly sit right.’ 

There are 17 separate branches of the Oscars’ committees who realize ‘that in a worst case situation, the fires could continue for weeks, prompting disastrous and cataclysmic issues for LA and Hollywood, where the awards are staged.’

The source added that the situation is being monitored with ‘some well-known faces consulted’ and that ‘everything is so up in the air that anything could happen.’ 

Even if the awards ceremony proceeds, the extravagant $171,000 goody bags will be eliminated, as they have been deemed in ‘bad taste’ by board members.

These lavish gifts included a three-night stay in the Swiss Alps, beauty treatments, exquisite jewelry, and a $1,220 barbecue grill.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has already cancelled the announcement of this year’s nominees and the nominees’ luncheon.

However, the source stated that ‘hundreds of millions of dollars are centered around the Oscars and moving their main evening and “biggest revenue generator” would need something cataclysmic to happen.’ 

A secret ‘contingency strategy’ is reportedly in place for the March 3rd awards ceremony to be called off, as per the U.S. Sun; Stone pictured accepting her Oscar in 2024

There’s a growing concern that proceeding with the glitzy Oscars 2025 ceremony could be seen as tone-deaf given the recent destruction; Will Smith seen accepting an Oscar in 2022

‘The very thought of having a waiter, a poorly paid innocent who has lost their home, serving delicate Wagyu burgers and sliced cucumber sandwiches to multi-millionaire movie stars doesn’t exactly sit right’;  Steven Spielberg seen at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon in 2024

Developed in the early 2000s after 9/11, the highly classified contingency plan would be enacted if a ‘life-changing event’ threatens the broadcast of the show. 

‘Terror threats were the priority for many years with discussions with Homeland Security, the FBI, CIA and LAPD task force officers, and many of those templates are still in place, albeit out of the public domain to avoid alarm.’ 

On Monday, it was revealed that the nominations for the 2025 Oscars have been ‘further delayed’. The voting period has been extended to January 17 – after previously being postponed to January 14.

The announcement of the nominations will now take place on January 23.

Many social media users have shared their thoughts on the event, and suggested that the ceremony itself be changed to a telethon fundraiser to help raise money for the victims of the fires that began last week. 

The Oscars were last delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. At the time the show was postponed for two months, from February to April. 

Four members of the Academy’s board of governors as well as the former CEO additionally lost their houses in the fires, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Some of Hollywood’s biggest names have seen their beloved homes razed in the devastating wildfires that have swept through Los Angeles this week.

Anthony Hopkins, Paris Hilton, Miles Teller and Anna Faris are just a few of the many stars whose stunning mansions have been reduced to ash and rubble.

‘The board’s main concern at this time is to not look like they are celebrating while many Los Angelenos are dealing with heartbreak and unimaginable loss,’ an insider told the publication; the Palisades Fire pictured as it ravages a neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 7th 

Even if the awards ceremony proceeds, the extravagant $171,000 goody bags will be eliminated, as they have been deemed in ‘bad taste’ by board members

Upwards of 200,000 residents have been subject to evacuation orders and thousands are still trapped in shelters, unable to return home as authorities begin the arduous task of searching the ash and debris for human remains.

The fires are still raging a week on – costing at least 25 lives, razing an estimated 12,300 structures and wiping out 40,000 acres of land.

The sheer scale of the devastation is unprecedented, with prime real estate stretching from Malibu to the Palisades and down to Santa Monica wiped off the map.

The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen people have been reported missing, he said.