Bill Maher has asserted that *Emilia Pérez* was the frontrunner for Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards but was ultimately overlooked due to what he describes as “cancel culture.” Speaking on his show *Real Time with Bill Maher*, the host argued that the backlash surrounding lead actress Karla Sofia Gascón played a significant role in the film’s failure to secure major awards.
“There are people who say cancel culture isn’t a real thing, and I would say to them, ‘It just happened at the Oscars,’” Maher stated. “You may not think it happened, but the movie that was going to win it all was *Emilia Pérez*.”
The Netflix film garnered 13 nominations—the most of any movie at this year’s Oscars—but only won two awards: Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña and Best Original Song for *El Mal*. Maher believes its losses, including the coveted Best Picture category, were influenced by the resurfacing of controversial social media posts by Gascón.
Maher acknowledged Gascón’s performance, saying, “God bless her, she did a great job,” but suggested the online backlash against her was exaggerated. “This movie, that was going to win it all, it was the frontrunner, and she was going to get all… suddenly was out to lunch,” he remarked.
In the end, the indie film *Anora* took home Best Picture, with its star Mikey Madison also winning Best Actress. While it remains unclear whether *Emilia Pérez* would have triumphed without the controversy, Maher insists that the outcome is evidence of cancel culture’s ongoing influence in Hollywood.
