Karla Sofía Gascón has entered the Dolby Theatre — and Conan O’Brien couldn’t wait to crack a joke at her expense.
Despite the recent controversy, the “Emilia Pérez” star, 52, attended the Academy Awards 2025 on Sunday, March 2, in Los Angeles.
While sitting in the star-studded audience, the Oscars host poked fun at her almost career-ending saga in his monologue.
“I loved Anora. I really did,” O’Brien said of the Best Picture nominee. “Anora uses the f word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist: ‘You tweeted WHAT?’”
As the audience slow-clapped, O’Brien danced a jig and added, “Karla Sofía Gascón is here tonight and Karla, if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”
The crowd laughed as the camera panned to the star, who smiled and bowed her head in appreciation.
Gascón is up for Best Actress at the coveted award show, making her the first openly transgender star to be nominated. Her co-star Zoe Saldaña is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
“Emilia Pérez” is leading the 2025 Oscars race with 13 nominations, coming up only one nod shy of tying the record for most-ever nominations for a movie. The project also marks the most-ever nods for a film predominantly in a non-English language.
The Netflix musical thriller follows a Mexican drug cartel leader (Gascón) who transitions into a woman.
In January, Gascón’s old tweets were resurfaced by writer and X user Sarah Hagi.
One of her 2020 tweets, posted in Spanish and translated by USA Today, read: “Sorry, is it just me or are there more Muslims in Spain? Every time I pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels. Next year instead of English, we’ll have to teach Arabic.”
Gascón issued an apology and deactivated her X account shortly after. The Spanish star issued a second statement on Instagram, saying she has “nothing to hide” and asking how she should “move forward” amid awards season.
In February, “Emilia Pérez” director Jacques Audiard called Gascón’s tweets, including criticisms of Muslim culture and George Floyd’s death, “inexcusable.”
“It’s very hard for me to think back to the work I did with Karla Sofía,” said Audiard. “The exceptional atmosphere that we had on the set was indeed based on trust.”
He added, “And when you have that kind of relationship and suddenly you read something that that person has said, things that are absolutely hateful and worthy of being hated, of course that relationship is affected. It’s as if you fall into a hole.”
Saldaña, 46, has also spoken out, telling Variety that the news made her “sad.”
“I’m sad. Time and time again, that’s the word because that is the sentiment that has been living in my chest since everything happened,” she explained at the time. “I’m also disappointed. I can’t speak for other people’s actions. All I can attest to is my experience, and never in a million years did I ever believe that we would be here.”
Gascón discussed her decision to attend the Oscars with The Hollywood Reporter in February. “I’m not sure how I feel, but I’m grateful to be back. I’m grateful to all those who’ve believed in me — to Netflix, the production company and my colleagues. We can close this beautiful and difficult path that began three years ago,” she said.
Saldaña, meanwhile, took home the trophy at the 2025 SAG Awards for Best Supporting Actress but did not mention her co-star during her acceptance speech.
“To be in this room…this is my community, this is my circus,” she said while accepting the award. “Thank you to SAG-AFTRA. I got my first SAG card in 1998. I didn’t even know what SAG was. I am grateful that my mother and father and sisters looked it up and helped me educate myself to know what it means to be a part of a union that protects me so I can make a living out of this crazy industry.”
“I am proud to be a part of a union that allows me to be who I am. I’ve never been questioned where I come from or judged for how I speak or what my pronouns are,” Saldaña continued. “Everyone has the right to be who they are. ‘Emilia Perez‘ is about truth and love and us actors really have to tell stories that are thought-provoking and beautiful and live within the spectrum of artistic freedom.”
