People Are Begging Zoe Saldaña To 'Read The Room' After She Declared That Her 'Emilia Pérez' Oscar Is 'Trans' And 'Goes By They/Them'
It's been three months since Zoe Saldaña memorably took home the 2025 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Emilia Pérez.
The divisive musical, directed by Jacques Audiard, follows a transgender Mexican cartel leader named Emilia Pérez (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) as she seeks help from a lawyer (played by Zoe) to obtain gender-affirming surgery. Emilia keeps her transition a secret from her wife and kids, posing as the aunt of her pre-transition self.
The film sparked backlash for a number of reasons, though one of the biggest talking points has undoubtedly been its portrayal of the trans experience. The LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD branded the film a 'step backwards for trans representation,' arguing that it 'recycles the trans stereotypes, tropes, and clichés of the not-so-distant past.'
Related: 12 Celebs Who Came Out At A Young Age, And 13 Who Came Out Way Later In Life
Months after its release, the backlash against Emilia Pérez grew further when the cast notably made no mention of trans rights as they accepted their controversial Oscar wins — despite the fact that the entire plot of the film centres around a trans woman's experience, and given the current terrifying political climate for trans folks.
And with this in mind, people are now once again disappointed that Zoe — who still hasn't spoken out at length about trans rights — stated that her Oscar statuette 'goes by they/them.'
Related: 18 Celebrities Who Called Out Other Celebs On Social Media For Bad, Problematic, Or Just Plain Mean Behavior
This week, at the LA premiere of her new movie Elio, Zoe reflected on her Oscar win, saying, 'We have it in my office and my Oscar is gender fluid,' before adding that it's "trans.'
Zoe's comments quickly went viral on X, where several users begged her to 'read the room.' 'Nobodys got time for this right now Zoe,' read one viral post with over 3.8 million views.
Twitter: @egeofanatolia / Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic
'funny cause she completely omitted any mention of the trans community during her acceptance speech,' someone wrote. 'had the whole press tour and many award show platforms to say something, ANYTHING about the attacks on trans people and this is what she comes up with months after her big (undeserved) oscar win. boo tomato boo,' another user echoed.
'Trans people: we need help the government is trying to kill us, please stand up for us in a meaningful way. Zoe Saldaña: My trophy is an enby,' one user quipped, while someone on Reddit shared, 'She said this but said nothing about trans rights during her acceptance speech. Oof.'
Yikes. Let me know what you think in the comments.
More on this
People Are Furious Over Zoe Saldaña's Response To A Mexican Journalist Telling Her That They Were Hurt By 'Emilia Pérez's' Portrayal Of Their CountryLeyla Mohammed · March 3, 2025
'Emilia Pérez' Is Being Called Out After None Of Its Oscar Winners Mentioned Trans Rights In Their Acceptance SpeechesStephanie Soteriou · March 3, 2025
"Emilia Pérez" Just Earned A Bunch Of Oscar Nominations — Here's Why I'm WorriedMychal Thompson · Jan. 24, 2025
Also in Celebrity: If You Get 20/30 On This Difficult '90s Music Quiz, Then You Honestly Know Your Stuff!!!
Also in Celebrity: 17 Actors Who Said "No" To Nudity And Sex Scenes Out Of Respect For Their Partners, Families, Religion, And More
Also in Celebrity: Here Are 10 Celebs Who've Publicly Admitted The Reasons Why They Regret Ending Their Marriages
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Names of Sam Nordquist, Jiggly Caliente, Lady Chablis, and more added to Stonewall Wall of Honor
Names of seven transgender trailblazers were added to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall Inn Thursday night. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. The Wall of Honor posthumously celebrates LGBTQ+ activists, artists, and others who played crucial roles in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. This year's inductees are all transgender at a time when trans Americans are under attack from the federal government and elsewhere. They were inducted by the National LGBTQ Task Force and the International Imperial Court Council. 'This year's focus on transgender trailblazers and changemakers underscores the importance of recognizing our history and the current climate for our trans siblings,' Cathy Renna, communications director for the Task Force, said in a press release. 'As we continue to fiercely battle against attacks on our trans and nonbinary communities, we are honored to uplift their legacies. Their courage inspires our ongoing fight for liberation, both within the Task Force family and across every queer advocacy organization.' 'In these times, when there are radical and extreme campaigns trying to erase our transgender community, the Imperial Courts and Task Force are reminding us all that transgender people have not only always been here, but have also been some of our community's most dedicated activists and leaders,' added Nicole Murray-Ramirez, founder of the Wall of Honor, a San Diego city commissioner, and titular head of the Imperial Court System. This year's honorees are Ruddy Martinez, Chilli Pepper, Lynn Conway, Alan L. Hart, Jiggly Caliente, the Lady Chablis, and Sam Nordquist. Related: Martinez, a.k.a. 'Mami Ruddys,' was the matriarch of Puerto Rico's LGBTQ+ community and a pioneering drag artist, activist, and trans woman who, since the 1980s, opened her home to young queer people rejected by their families. Chilli Pepper appeared on talk shows, including Phil Donahue's and Oprah Winfrey's, in the 1980s to discuss life as a trans woman and debunk harmful stereotypes about trans and queer people. She also was an activist for AIDS awareness. Conway was an electrical engineer, computer scientist, and trans activist. While facing discrimination as a trans woman in her field, she created a simplified method of microchip design and helped develop the Very Large-Scale Integration design. Hart, a physicist and writer, was among the first people to receive gender-affirming surgery and identify and live as a man. He attended medical school after the typhoid epidemic in 1912 and contributed to tuberculosis Caliente, a.k.a. Bianca Castro-Arabejo, died at age 44 on April 27 of this year. The Filipino-American drag queen rose to fame in season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race and also starred in the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. She was a resident judge of Drag Race Philippines and appeared in Pose as Veronica Ferocity. The Lady Chablis, a performer in Savannah, Georgia, was portrayed in John Berendt's nonfiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which highlighted the city's underground nightlife scene and a scandalous murder. She played herself in the film based on the book. While publicizing the film, she charmed journalists and audiences with her charismatic presence. Nordquist, a Black trans man from Minnesota, died in February in upstate New York after being tortured for more than a month. Seven people have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with his death. All have pleaded not guilty. Nordquist's family attended the ceremony. 'We just wanted to thank everybody for acknowledging Sam and having Sam being honored on the wall,' his mother, Linda Nordquist, said at the event, according to TV station WHEC. 'There's no words to express how we're feeling.' The Wall of Honor was inaugurated in 2019 with 50 names to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Each year, additional honorees are added, joining a living memorial of LGBTQ+ legends such as Leslie Jordan, Gloria Allen, Terrence McNally, Harvey Milk, James Baldwin, Keith Haring, José Sarria, Audre Lorde, Marsha P. Johnson, and Matthew Shepard. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Names of Sam Nordquist, Jiggly Caliente, Lady Chablis, and more added to Stonewall Wall of Honor
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jets' Justin Fields Not Trying To Be 'Celebrity Quarterback'
Jets' Justin Fields Not Trying To Be 'Celebrity Quarterback' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Aaron Glenn era for the New York Jets has gotten off to a strong and relatively quiet start, with the franchise no longer in the news every other day. Advertisement Oh, and that's by design with Glenn wanting his franchise to move in silence, unlike the Aaron Rodgers era when it felt like every other day, there was a headline being made. But that is no more, with Justin Fields putting his head down and working hard as he is the Jets' starter under Glenn, and as we know, Glenn doesn't take any prisoners; he wants things done his way. Things appear to be going smoothly with Fields at quarterback, and Glenn is loving it. The head coach, per The Athletic's Zach Rosenblatt, spoke on Fields' time in the Big Apple, and clearly had a parting shot at a certain former quarterback in the process. Advertisement 'He's not trying to be the celebrity quarterback, he's just trying to be himself,' Glenn said. 'And whatever comes with that, it comes with it. So, he's not trying to impress anybody. He's going out there and he's busting his (expletive) trying to be the best quarterback he can be for this team. Everybody sees that — and I like that.' New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7).John Jones-Imagn Images "Not trying to be a celebrity quarterback," well, that is quite the sentence. A lot came with Rodgers being the starter, and we are aware of his absence from camp due to a trip to Egypt and the coaching hires, but there is none of that with Fields. His only focus is football. Advertisement Granted, Aaron's likely was to, but there was a lot of "other stuff" that came with it, and you can tell by Glenn's words that he is glad with the decision to move on from the four-time MVP winner, who is now in Pittsburgh. But we think this might serve as a little bit of motivation for Rodgers when the Steelers face the Jets in 2025. A celebrity quarterback? There's your bulletin board material. Related: Jets Offense Predicted To Have 'Lions' Flavor In 2025 Related: Jets Malachi Corley Fires off Blunt Message To Critics Ahead of Training Camp This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Chicago tenor Rodell Rosel says opera connects people through music, emotion
Rodell Rosel is an accomplished tenor who has been singing opera in Chicago and around the country for more than two decades. He sat down with CBS News Chicago to talk about his life and work. "We always say opera is the Olympics of singing," he said. "Our instruments are inside our bodies." Rosel has been in love with opera for most of his life. "I've been singing professionally for 20 years. I'm 21," he joked. His talent has taken Rosel across the U.S. and beyond, and he says opera is for everyone even if the language being sung is unfamiliar. "Even though you don't understand the words, the music envelops it. It's up to the artist to interpret," Rosel explained. "When someone is saying 'My heart is broken,' it will sound like this, it's my heart is broken, it stretches it so it doesn't leave you quickly. It stays with you enough to feel the drama." Rosel said success in opera and in life is all about being comfortable with who you are. He comfortably identifies as a gay man, but said there's more to it. "I want to be a full, rounded person. To be able to full, rounded, you have to be able to embrace everything about you, both masculine and feminine," he said. Rosel has been married to Steven Hunter for 11 years, and when talking about their marriage he keeps it simple. "I will talk about it as normal and as regular as everyone else," he said. "If I'm talking to someone, 'Oh great, my husband and I are talking about going on that trip,' instead of saying, 'oh just want to let you know, I have a husband.'" He also has many friends, some of whom he met through a group called "Asians and Friends." "It started in 1984 as an organization to give a safe space to LGBTQ+ Asians and their allies," said president John McInteer. "In recent years we're trying to get more active in the community as well." McINeer is Irish and one of the friends. He was introduced to the group through his partner at the time. AFC activities include fundraisers, pride parade floats and regular dim sum brunches. "It's about our common interest and being able to open up and compare how we experience our lives in Chicago," said Rosel. And for Rosel, life is good and opera is a never-ending education. "I would consider it continuous learning. Just like law or medicine, we have to keep working on our voice," he said. "We have to keep working on our artistry." Do you know someone a person or place that brings you joy? We want to share your story. Send us your "Eye on Chicago" ideas using the form below (or clicking here):
