Oscars 2025: Voting Extended and Announcement Delayed Again, Nominees Luncheon Canceled

Four members of the film Academy’s board of governors have lost their homes in the fires.

Atmosphere of Oscar statue — Oscar statue Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang shared in statement Monday, Jan. 13. that the 97th Oscars has not moved from its date of Sunday, March 2, 2025, which is 48 days from today.

My Oscar Book:

• The Oscar nominations announcement, which was originally scheduled for 5:30 a.m. PT on Friday, Jan. 17, and then was extended to an unspecified time on Sunday, Jan. 19, will now take place at 5:30 a.m. PT on Thursday, Jan. 23. It will be televised, as usual, but this year there will not be any press in the audience.

• The Oscar Nominees Luncheon, which was originally scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10, has been canceled. (As in recent years, nominees will still be invited to small dinners, closer to the date of the Oscars ceremony, with others who are nominated in their category.)

• The Scientific and Technical Awards, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, has been postponed. It will be rescheduled at a later date.

These decisions were made in close consultation with the Academy’s 55-person board of governors. Four governors tragically lost their homes in the fires — producers branch governor Lynette Howell Taylor (Blue Valentine), who also serves as a vp of the Academy; visual effects branch governor Brooke Breton (Avatar); sound branch governor Mark P. Stoeckinger (Star Trek); and animation branch governor Jinko Gotoh (Finding Nemo) — as did Dawn Hudson, who served as the Academy’s CEO from 2011 through 2022.

Remarkably, Breton, even after losing her home, still insisted on helping to preside over her branch’s “bakeoff” — a showcase for people behind shortlisted films to talk about their work — that took place virtually on Saturday.

The Academy, which has donated $750,000 to the MPTF to help those affected by the fires, is trying to find a middle ground between some, like Breton, who seem to feel that the show must go on.

Others, like actress Jean Smart, have suggested that awards season activities should be significantly curbed, with funds redirected to fire relief efforts.

An often-overlooked consideration is just how many people and businesses are financially dependent on the awards-industrial complex, from caterers and drivers to hotel workers and security personnel. The Academy itself employs some 1,000 people during the week of the Oscars telecast.

It seems likely that the Oscars will serve as a telethon, of sorts, to raise funds for fire relief and to celebrate first-responders.

The full text of Kramer and Yang’s statement appears below.

We are devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community. The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.

Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.

Additionally, as we want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and ldging needs of the region in these next few weeks, it is imperative that we make some changes to our schedule of events, which we believe will have the support of our industry.

Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry. We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts.

We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.

Oscars 2025: Voting Extended and Announcement Delayed Again, Nominees Luncheon Canceled

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