The Oscars was an eventful evening for the cast and crew of Emilia Pérez, but for all the wrong reasons as controversy circling Karla Sofía Gascón took center stage.
The 97th Academy Awards had the potential to be the perfect night for those involved in the production of the 2024 musical, but with Gascón’s old tweets having allegedly cropped up in the last few months, it left a bitter taste for the team – despite scooping two awards.
The hit movie was nominated for 13 statuettes in total, with Zoe Saldaña winning her category – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – and the film landing best original song. Gascón herself also made history as she became the first transgender actress to be nominated for an acting Oscar.
However, all eyes were on Gascón and Selena Gomez, after one of the Spanish actress’ alleged tweets that resurfaced in recent months and has since been deleted, included the 52-year-old labeling her co-star 20 years her junior a ‘rich rat’.
Commenting on a Spanish outlet’s tweet from October 2022, Gascón allegedly wrote: “She’s a rich rat who plays the poor b*stard whenever she can and will never stop bothering her ex-boyfriend and his wife,” which was a reference to Justin and Hailey Bieber.
Gascón denied all allegations made against her, including claims that she tweeted racist and Islamophobic remarks, but also issued an apology.
Speaking to CNN, she said: “It’s not mine, of course. I have never said anything about my colleague I would never refer to her that way.
“I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”
Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón pictured together before the allegations regarding the Spanish actress’ old tweets resurfaced (Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Netflix)
After the allegations cropped up, Gomez spoke with PEOPLE and admitted the ‘magic’ had gone from the pure elation she once had from the connection she made with the film.
“I’m good. I’m really good. Some of the magic has disappeared, but I choose to continue to be proud of what I’ve done, and I’m just grateful,” she told the publication.
“I live with no regrets and I would do this movie over and over again if I could.”
Now, for the first time, the pair were seen speaking to each other in the auditorium of the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, yesterday (March 2).
Gascón, who opted to skip the red carpet following the controversy, walked up to Gomez – who was sat with fiancé Benny Blanco – and said a brief hello.
Gomez and Gascón awkwardly embraced at the Oscars (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Gomez stood up from her seat to awkwardly kiss her co-star on the cheek, before Gascón shook Blanco’s hand.
Later in the night, Conan O’Brien referenced the ongoing saga between Gascón and Gomez during his skit.
Addressing the crowd, he joked: “Anora uses the ‘F-word’ 479 times – that’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist.”
Before laughing it off as being ‘incredibly silly’.
