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Karla Sofía Gascón: The Racist Tweets That Could Cost Her the Oscar

Karla Sofía Gascón: The Racist Tweets That Could Cost Her the Oscar

A writer has uncovered old tweets from the 'Emilia Perez' actress, forcing her to respond

Archivado en: Selena Gómez  •  

Emilia Pérez, the film about a Mexican drug lord’s gender transition, has been nominated for 13 Oscars and stars Selena Gómez alongside trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón. However, the buzz isn’t just about the movie—it’s also about its Spanish lead actress.

Thanks to her role in the film, Gascón has already won Best Actress at Cannes and the European Film Awards, and she has been nominated for the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Critics Choice Awards, and SAG Awards. She has already made history as the first trans actress to be nominated for an Oscar.

While this is undoubtedly the peak of her career, it is now being overshadowed by a series of tweets she posted in the past—tweets filled with racist language that are currently circulating online.

Karla Sofía Gascón poses for photo during a Press Conferece of ‘Emilia Pérez’ film at Cinepolis Plaza Carso on January 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Medios y Media/Getty Images

A Digital Footprint That Could Cost Her Hollywood

Writer and screenwriter Sarah Hagi published a thread on Wednesday morning, sharing a collection of Gascón’s old tweets, which have since gone viral.

Among the resurfaced tweets—more than a dozen—many contain racist remarks targeting Islam, Muslims, and immigrants. Here are a few examples:

  • «How many more times does history have to expel the Moors from Spain… we still haven’t realized what this civilizational threat means—constantly attacking individual freedom and coherence. This isn’t racism; it’s about Islam.»
  • «The Chinese vaccine, aside from the mandatory chip, comes with two spring rolls, a waving cat, two plastic flowers, a foldable lantern, three phone lines, and one euro for your first controlled purchase.»
  • «Is it just me, or are there more and more Muslims in Spain? Every time I pick up my daughter from school, there are more women with their hair covered and long skirts down to their ankles. Maybe next year, instead of English, we’ll have to take Arabic… and sacrifice a lamb.»
  • «I honestly think very few people ever cared about George Floyd—a junkie scammer—but his death has once again highlighted the fact that some still see Black people as monkeys without rights, while others think all police officers are murderers. Both sides are wrong.»
  • One of her posts on the 2021 Oscars reads, “More and more the #Oscars are looking like a ceremony for independent and protest films, I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M. Apart from that, an ugly, ugly gala.”

Hagi, shocked by the tweets, wrote: «It’s so insane that Karla Sofía Gascón still has these tweets up. I have never seen tweets this racist from someone actively campaigning to win an ACADEMY AWARD. There are more than a dozen…»

Criticism of the Oscars and BTS

Gascón also took aim at the very institution that might now reject her. The timing of this controversy is critical, as Academy members are about to cast their votes.

«The Oscars are starting to feel more like an independent and activist film festival. I wasn’t sure if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter protest, or a feminist march. Also, it was an ugly, ugly ceremony. The only thing missing was giving an award to my cousin’s short film—he’s disabled.»

One tweet, in particular, has infuriated BTS fans. It has spread like wildfire across social media, originally posted in August 2021:

«I’m so sick of searching for important news on Twitter only to be bombarded with 200 posts about those f**ing Chinese BTS guys or 200 people jerking off. Community Managers, shove your hashtags up your ass. It’s ridiculous how they exploit any tragedy or news event for promotion. STOP USING DISASTERS FOR PUBLICITY. IDIOTS.»*

The backlash from BTS fans has been immediate and intense. One user wrote:

«It’s incredibly disappointing that an actress who should represent international communities and minority actors displays such blatant racism towards Asian artists for no reason.»

Many of the tweets have been deleted from X, and Karla has subsequently deactivated her account on the platform.

Karla Sofía Gascón’s Apology

The 52-year-old actress has been forced to address the controversy. She issued a statement through Netflix, the platform distributing Emilia Pérez in the U.S.:

«I want to acknowledge the conversation surrounding my past social media posts that have caused pain. As a member of a marginalized community, I understand this suffering all too well and deeply regret having caused harm. My entire life, I have fought for a better world. I believe that light will always triumph over darkness.»

How the Controversy Started

This didn’t come out of nowhere. The uproar began after an interview with Folha de São Paulo, a Brazilian newspaper, where Gascón spoke about trans rights:

«Trans people are human beings with the same rights and obligations that we all should have.»

She also commented on Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, who is competing in the same Oscar category:

«What I don’t like is when social media teams work to undermine other people’s work, like mine or Emilia Pérez. That doesn’t get us anywhere. You don’t need to bring others down to elevate someone else. I have never spoken ill of Fernanda Torres or her film, but I do see a lot of people in her circle speaking negatively about me and Emilia Pérez. That says more about them than it does about their film or mine.»

Her words sparked further backlash, leading her to clarify in Variety that she wasn’t referring specifically to Torres’s team, but rather to «the toxicity and hate speech that exists on social media.»

This scandal could seriously damage her Oscar chances and future in Hollywood, where every action is scrutinized and celebrities are held to the highest standards. The situation is further complicated by past remarks from Emilia Pérez director Jacques Audiard, who recently said in an interview:

«Spanish is a language of emerging countries—a language of modest nations, of the poor, of migrants.»

With these layers of controversy, Gascón’s Hollywood future hangs in the balance.