Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who made history as the first transgender nominee in the Best Actress category at the Oscars, has chosen not to attend the Critics Choice Awards following backlash over old tweets. According to The Hollywood Reporter, her past social media posts, which many found offensive towards marginalized communities, resurfaced online, causing a major controversy.

The film Emilia Pérez , which has received widespread recognition and multiple awards, is now facing setbacks ahead of several major ceremonies. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, after the old tweets went viral, Gascón deactivated her X (formerly Twitter) account. She later gave an emotional interview to CNN en Español, where she addressed the controversy, denied being racist, and broke down in tears while discussing the impact of her past actions.

The report further mentioned that this media appearance was not coordinated with Netflix, which owns the film’s distribution rights. This unexpected move has led to further complications in the movie’s awards campaign.

Gascón has now decided not to attend the Critics Choice Awards on February 7, where Emilia Pérez has been nominated in 10 categories, including Best Actress for her role. Additionally, she will also be absent from the Directors Guild Awards and Producers Guild Awards, which are scheduled for the following day.

Meanwhile, the film’s promotional campaign for the awards season has undergone changes. The Hollywood Reporter states that Netflix has removed Gascón from all awards campaign materials, seemingly shifting focus toward Zoe Saldaña , who plays a key role in the movie and is a frontrunner in the Best Supporting Actress category.

In the film, Gascón portrays Emilia, a feared drug cartel leader who undergoes gender-affirming surgery with the help of a lawyer named Rita, played by Zoe Saldaña. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where Gascón’s performance was highly praised. She even won the Best Actress prize, which she shared with co-stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Zoe Saldaña.

Despite its critical success, the film’s awards journey has now been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding its lead actress.