Stephen King, the literary genius who’s made you afraid of clowns, hotels, and possibly your own shadow, has now set his sights on the Oscars. And no, he’s not working on a script for “Carrie Goes to Hollywood.” He’s calling for the whole thing to be canceled. Yep, the Academy Awards—Hollywood’s night of glamour, drama, and extremely awkward acceptance speeches—should take a hard pass this year, according to Mr. King.
On Thursday, the master of horror took to Bluesky (because Twitter is so 2022) to unleash his hot take:
“Not voting in the Oscars this year,” he declared. “IMHO they should cancel them. No glitz with Los Angeles on fire.”
Translation: If LA is literally going up in flames, maybe it’s not the best time to don a $10,000 gown and hand out gold statues.
Hollywood’s Latest Plot Twist: Wildfires
If you’ve been too busy binge-watching Netflix to check the news, here’s the gist: wildfires have turned Los Angeles County into a real-life version of one of King’s apocalyptic novels. The Academy, seemingly trying to keep things classy amidst the chaos, decided to extend Oscar voting and push back the nominations announcement. But Stephen King isn’t buying the “show must go on” narrative.
And he’s not alone. Actresses Jean Smart and Patricia Arquette also chimed in, suggesting that maybe Hollywood should press pause on the awards season.
But, of course, there’s a counter-argument. Some optimists in Tinseltown believe that holding events like the Oscars and the Grammys can provide a much-needed distraction from all the doom and gloom. Like, “Sure, the city’s on fire, but look at how sparkly the dresses are!”
King’s Clapback
King, however, isn’t here for the “positivity” angle. On Friday, he posted a follow-up that could basically be summarized as: “Nice try, but no.”
“I hear what you guys are saying about the Oscars, and how they’re a celebration of life, and the show must go on, blah-blah-blah,” he wrote. “It all makes a degree of sense, but to me it still feels like Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Or in this case, wearing fancy clothes while LA burns.”
Basically, King is suggesting that watching celebrities clap for each other while the city smolders feels a bit… dystopian.
Roll Credits
As of now, the Grammys and Oscars are still scheduled for February 2 and March 2, respectively. So unless there’s a major plot twist, Hollywood will proceed with its regularly scheduled programming—wildfires or not.
Meanwhile, Stephen King will probably be watching from home, sipping coffee, and wondering if the Academy will ever get its priorities straight. Or, you know, maybe writing another bestseller.
