The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Behind the Oscar Curtain: Scandals and Apologies

• Molly McPherson • Episode 302

Share episode

The 2025 Academy Awards weren’t just about golden statues—they were a golden opportunity to survive a PR crisis. From a rumored affair between two co-stars, resurfaced blackface performances to the growing debate over artificial intelligence in filmmaking, this year’s Oscars put the industry’s ethical dilemmas front and center. 

How did major nominees handle the heat? Taking a closer look at how these Hollywood players navigated public backlash and owned—or avoided—their past decisions. These moments aren’t just about damage control; they’re reshaping how audiences view performance, ethics, and storytelling itself. So, can artistry exist without controversy in a world that’s always watching? Let’s unpack it in this episode.

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow me on Substack → Molly McPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Want more PR + Crisis Management insights?


Follow & Connect with Molly:

Molly McPherson:

Did you watch the Oscar telecast last Sunday evening? I did. Let's chit-chat about the Oscars, scandals, apologies, the non-apologies, and then let's compare it to the outcome. In other words, do we think they impacted the outcome of the winners in any way? Let's find out. Hey there, everyone, welcome to this episode of the PR Breakdown. I'm your host, molly McPherson.

Molly McPherson:

This week, let's peel back all the layers of all the scandals, or the big ones at least. Did the scandal make a difference in the voting and who walked off the stage with an Oscar? Let's start off with the controversies first. These are the above-the-fold headlines. Every year, there's probably a multitude of scandals that plague the Oscars. These are the ones that you heard about, you read about, you saw it on social media or there was a news story. I want to get the big ones. These are the scandals that followed the categories of best actor, best actress, best picture. You know the names. Let's dig into the list of scandals.

Molly McPherson:

The nominees are Fernanda Torres and the resurfacing of a decades old blackface performance by the Brazilian actress that sparks significant discussion about accountability, cultural evolution and how societies address past injustices. Now we've certainly had cases of people in the news having to apologize for blackface or close to blackface colored faces in the past. This was big after 2020. Top of mind I didn't research this, it's just coming to mind Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He had one, I think he was dressed like a genie for a costume party. Also coming to mind, colleen Ballinger. She's the YouTube creator former. I should say she is gosh. Is she even on YouTube anymore? A couple of years ago she had her own scandal with other things. I did a podcast about a couple of years ago, but one of the issues I remember is she had it wasn't blackface, but it was green, and she was supposed to be green, but she was singing all the single ladies Beyonce songs. So you get it. So we've been here before. Fernanda Torres, this was Brazilian television. If you're anything like me and you're a creature of media, you know the US has different standards when it comes to what airs on television compared to international counterparts. So we'll say that. But this clip originated from a 2008 comedy sketch called Fantástico, from a 2008 comedy sketch called Fantástico, and it showed her portraying a maid in blackface. Okay, not good, not good. This came to light shortly after her Oscar nomination, for I'm Still here. Torres since issued a public apology, acknowledging the harm caused and emphasizing the need for ongoing conversations to combat racism. All good the context of the apology cultural awareness. But also at that time she had mentioned in the early 2000s Brazil had limited mainstream awareness of racist history of blackface, despite the black advocacy groups out there. She expressed deep regret and stated that she wanted to address the issue promptly to avoid further pain. She committed to fostering dialogue and advocating for change to combat inequality and racism.

Molly McPherson:

Second nominee, mikey Madison and the intimacy coordinator backlash. The lead actress in the film, anora, faced significant backlash for her decision not to use an intimacy coordinator during the production of the movie Anora, which, by the way, was my favorite film I was lucky enough to get screeners of a lot of these films due to my guy Greg being a member of SAG, so we spent a weekend watching all the films. This film was by far and away my favorite. I really liked all of them, but this one was fantastic. If you saw the movie, there were a lot of explicit scenes, but you know already, no one really heard about intimacy coordinators before Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. And the whole ends with us brouhaha which, by the way, I'm going to South by Southwest this week. I'm going to see. Hopefully the schedule will work out. I'm going to see the new movie A Simple Favor with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. Would I typically see this film? No, am I seeing it because I'm going to be at a festival that will be airing it and everyone's chit-chatting about Blake Lively.

Molly McPherson:

Yes, the controversy began when Madison discussed her choice in a variety actors-on-actors interview with Pamela Anderson Gosh. I loved her. She wasn't nominated, but the Last Showgirl boy did. I like that movie as well. She explained that she and her co-star mutually decided to forego an intimacy coordinator to maintain a smaller, more intimate environment. She emphasized that the experience was positive for her and it aligned with the director Sean Baker's focus on authenticity.

Molly McPherson:

A lot of the critics argued that the decision could set a harmful precedent in the film industry, but I'm going to argue that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively already set the precedent for just throwing the intimacy coordinator into the mix of their crisis and turning it into a thing and diminishing the importance of it. Supporters of Madison contend that she exercised her right to make a decision about her own body and her own work environment. They argued that since she and her co-star consented to the arrangement. There were no issues during the filming. And they were both young Madison she's 23, I think. When I was watching her accept her award and when I was watching her sitting on top of her actor in the film, I'm thinking I have a daughter this age. I don't know how I would process it if I was the parent, but I'm sure her parents were mighty pleased by the end of the night.

Molly McPherson:

All right, the next nominee the Brutalist. Nominee the Brutalist. I found watching the Brutalist rather brutal. It was long. I was not into it. And that's the problem with streamers, which Sean Baker, the director, the creator behind Anora that was his tentpole advocacy would send people back to the theaters to save independent filmmaking. I see the argument because I would have watched it, probably been more engaged, would have liked it a lot more, but I didn't like it.

Molly McPherson:

But what came out after the fact is the use of AI to refine the Hungarian accents. That started a debate about this intersection of technology, creativity and cultural sensitivity, because, remember, we're talking about accents. The film's editor revealed they used an AI tool to adjust the dialogue of Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones, two people who do not have Hungarian accents. Adrian Brody, who already won an Oscar, is known for being the actor who can capture the accent, and there's no doubt without the AI enhancement, he still would have done an amazing job. The AI was used to perfect certain vowels and letters that proved challenging when other technology was attempted, so it makes me wonder like how long has that technology been there? Most people wouldn't know a perfect Hungarian accent, but bringing in AI for linguistic authenticity does diminish the value of that very human performance. You can make it more accurate from a language perspective, but does the actor, the actress, deserve the award?

Molly McPherson:

The next nominee? It's Conclave versus the conservative Catholics. As a Catholic the conservative Catholics I'm sorry they get under my skin. As a Roman Catholic, as someone who went to Catholic schools for 16 years of Catholic schools, and I lived Catholic schools conservative Catholics just tying themselves into conservative politics and then allowing it to spill over into everyone else's lives, I have no patience for it. A little bias, yes, but Conclave, the film found itself under fire with these conservative Catholic leaders because they branded it as anti-Catholic propaganda. Makes me crazy even hearing it. So the film that was directed by Edward Berger and is based on a 2016 novel by Robert Harris created a bit of a clash between artistic expression and Catholic religious values. I thought it was fantastic. I loved it, absolutely loved the film. It was one of the first Oscar-nominated films that I watched before it was even nominated.

Molly McPherson:

I can't get into it too much if you haven't seen it. But it's a ideological infighting among cardinals during a fictional papal election, but ever so tightly bound closely to current events with the Pope. That's why I'm sure Conan O'Brien probably had a whole slew of conclave jokes papal jokes ready for the go, but probably canned all of them. He's a Catholic, an Irish Catholic. He probably thought it would be insensitive if the current Pope, pope Francis, who now is in quote, acute respiratory failure, but they say he's alert. But the timing it was too tight. I think Conan O'Brien would have had a scandal on his hands if he mentioned it. The critics are Bishop Robert Barron and Megyn Kelly, all arguing that the film distorts Catholic teaching and undermines the sanctity of the church. I'm sorry, I just I can't stand it. Megyn Kelly, I would assume from the name alone she grew up Catholic and it just makes me crazy that you cannot separate a film, a fictional film, from ideology. It makes me nuts that you can't separate the artistry of a fictional film with Catholic doctrine, and I think Ralph Fiennes was fantastic in it. Stanley Tucci I loved this movie but it was a scandal nonetheless.

Molly McPherson:

The next nominee Ariana Grande, ethan Slater those two hooked up during the filming. Both of them were with partners. Ariana Grande played the part of Glinda or Galinda. Ethan Slater played the role of Buck. They weren't romantically paired in the film, but there was a romantic pairing when they were filming it. Ethan Slater was married. His wife, lily J, was a high school girlfriend. They had a young son.

Molly McPherson:

This was messy. When it happened it spilled all over TikTok. I'll link to the podcast where I discussed this affair in the show notes. But this was sticky for Wicked, because Wicked is supposed to be this huge blockbuster of a film and it certainly was when it came out. But they did not want any scandal touching Wicked at all. United Artists they did a good job quashing all of this right away. There was some residual, certainly on social media, but Ariana Grande was published and was picked up by all press. She talked about the difficulty of adjusting to this new reality of being a single parent. Then it segued into this media frenzy surrounding her soon-to-be former husband's relationship with Ariana Grande. It was not a good look for the couple, but they remained silent and, as of today, it appears that they're still a couple. Although they did not sit with each other during the broadcast, it's likely due to status.

Molly McPherson:

In the film. Ariana Grande was one of the lead actors, even though she was nominated for a supporting actress, so those two didn't sit next to each other. Also, with Wicked Cynthia Erivo, she played the role of Elphaba. She's the British actress of Nigerian descent. Her backlash was not huge, but it certainly came out. I discussed it in that aforementioned podcast.

Molly McPherson:

She received a lot of backlash from resurfaced tweets. Always, when you ever hear the word resurfaced in a crisis or scandal, it involves a tweet. It's always a tweet. She tweeted something in 2013. At the time, she was getting some guff for portraying Harriet Tubman when she wasn't an American actress. She replied in a tweet referencing quote ghetto American accent, which naturally sparked some controversy. Revo repeatedly addressed the issue, claimed her tweets were taken out of context. She didn't intend to mock anyone and so many people were behind her in this film that it didn't get a lot of traction. The backlash is going to happen, but if the press doesn't pick it up, then that scandal is not going to be as big and as damaging.

Molly McPherson:

Next nominee the director of the Oscar-nominated film, the Apprentice Director, ali Abassi, faced allegations of sexual misconduct stemming from an incident at the Golden Globes hosted by. At the time, his agency, caa. Reports indicated he was intoxicated and allegedly groped an A-list actor. I have to look at the blind gossip. I don't know who the A-list actor is. A lot of the specifics of the incident have been disputed. Abassi described it as a playful slap on the rear. He apologized for making the actor feel uncomfortable, but other accounts suggest that the behavior was more invasive, involving inappropriate physical contact. In the aftermath, he parted ways with his US representation at CAA and it remains unclear if he was dropped or left voluntarily. I would assume that he was dropped. He also ended a partnership with his PR firm and his legal representative, so that was a clear-cut cancellation. Though he's still represented by a team in the UK, he did come out and publicly acknowledge his actions as a mistake. He stated that he apologized immediately and learned a valuable life lesson. But despite his efforts to control the narrative, the explanation downplays the severity of the incident. If that were a woman, that would be a much, much bigger story. So they just shut it down immediately and it definitely overshadowed the film the Apprentice.

Molly McPherson:

During the awards season, the big nominee, amelia Perez my goodness, it became a lightning rod for controversy. There were so many issues surrounding this film Representation of trans identity, mexican culture, the conduct of the lead actress and then the director Chiming in on the lead actress. This film from Netflix, directed by Jacques Audidard, is a Spanish language French musical. That follows happening, because, of course, that's what happens. A lot of these scandals just go away to die. But when the spotlight hits a film or a person, whatever it is, journalists and people start digging. And this is what they found. And this is what they found. First there was the lead actress, carla Sophia Gascon. She is the first openly transgender nominee for Best Actress at the Oscars.

Molly McPherson:

Faced severe criticism for offensive tweets from 2020 to 2025. Again resurfaced and they included anti-Muslim remarks, criticisms of diversity efforts at the Oscars, derogatory comments about George Floyd, black Lives Matter. It was a mess, inexcusable, very difficult to account for. Director called her comments inexcusable and said that they overshadowed much of the film awards campaigns, which we'd have to agree with that. Another criticism GLAAD criticized the trans representation. They said it was a step backward and criticized its reliance on harmful stereotypes and tropes. So the film's portrayal of Amelia's transition as a manipulative, immoral person. Many in the LGBTQ plus community took exception to that portrayal. Next, there was a lot of accusations about cultural stereotyping and the casting of non-Mexican actors and crew members. Many felt that it was evidence of cultural insensitivity, the director admitting to conducting minimal research on Mexico, which fueled the backlash. Now let's get into the winners and see if these scandals impacted the outcome at the 2025 Academy Awards.

Molly McPherson:

All right, in the category of Best Actor, adrian Brody won for the Brutalist, so his powerhouse performance, which was aided by AI, won the day. If you watch the broadcast, you saw Adrian Brody's acceptance speech, which we are already in a scandal about AI, so you've already had an enhancement around your performance. That wasn't a time to enhance your acceptance speech. It was a time to diminish it. Telling the orchestra to stop. This isn't his first rodeo. When the walk-off music started no, he should have walked off at that time. The walk-off music started no, he should have walked off at that time.

Molly McPherson:

All right in the best actress category, mikey Madison for Anora. I was so excited. She totally deserved this. Before I saw Anora, I was all in for Demi Moore in the Substance. I thought the Substance was incredible. But Mikey Madison I just thought Anora was fascinating. But part of her win, I think, was how she captured hearts and probably older male Academy voters with her very raw portrayal of a sex worker. She showed a raw vulnerability. So for her to choose with her co-star to not use an intimacy coordinator, I think, fits into that role. It's as if she said, no, I stand by my artistry and this is going to be fine. I'm glad that this scandal did not deter the voters. The same for Best Director Sean Baker. He won four Oscars. I loved his speeches, that rallying cry for the communal movie-going experience. It was so heartfelt and the anti-streaming message was a very indirect hit at an industry that really is running roughshod over Hollywood. But Enora, mikey Sean Baker, best film. It wasn't just a film, it was a statement and I just loved it. I can't say enough.

Molly McPherson:

Next we have best supporting actor, karen Culkin. For Real Pain, no backlash. The best supporting actress was Zoe Saldana. Her acceptance speech was wonderful. It was right on the nose for all of the controversies surrounding the film, surrounding the film. They wanted to give it to someone. Okay, yes, she is not of Mexican heritage, but voters likely looked at her as someone from Hispanic heritage. She could speak the language. She was exceptional in the role. She had been one of these actresses who's been around now for some time and she's been in other Oscar-winning films. It was deserving.

Molly McPherson:

I think Oscar voters probably wanted to give the film something and they had to find the best person who deserved it, and that was certainly in this category Carla Sofia Gascon. She was nominated as a lead actress. She was in the audience. She showed up, which you know what Good for her. Her apology wasn't good. She didn't really take accountability for it. Separate from that, showing up, I think, was a good idea.

Molly McPherson:

What can we take away from this breakdown? What did we learn? I have four thoughts. One art versus scandal. It's clear that, while scandals create buzz and supercharge the algorithm and fuel controversy and news stories and chatter, true artistry and compelling storytelling eventually win the day. Many of these winners prove that, despite every PR mishap, genuine talent tends to resonate.

Molly McPherson:

Two crisis as a catalyst for conversation. Each controversy, from the outdated skits to the safety oversights to the AI, all of it sparked the conversations that need to be had about culture, respect and creative responsibility. So, yeah, sometimes it's blown out of proportion, but it does create conversations online and subsequent news stories. It creates that conversation where we need to have a lot of these changes from past behavior. That is some good that can come out of crisis Because, like I said, every crisis has an opportunity.

Molly McPherson:

Number three the power of a solid PR response. In every crisis, there's a lesson in communication. Whether it's how a director turns backlash from his actress not accepting an intimacy coordinator into a rallying cry for theaters, how actors demand to be heard into a rallying cry for theaters, how actors demand to be heard If it's an actress accepting her award and then thanking her immigrant parents and grandparents, a solid PR response and a message always wins. And you know what? There was one more Oscar-related scandal, and that was from Hulu, owned by ABC. The two networks worked together. They were streaming the Oscars and the streaming shut down as the Best Actress Oscar was being awarded. That is a massive failure. So they said that they were going to get to the bottom of it, but that was bad. That's all for this week's episode of the PR Breakdown.

Molly McPherson:

Be sure to follow me on Substack. You can be a paid member or a free member. You can find me at prbreakdownmedia. I also have a link in the show notes. I post weekly articles. I do lives daily notes. Members can DM me. I have an Ask Molly section where you can ask me questions about anything relating to PR crisis management, whether it's professionally or personally in your life. I would love to see you over there. I'm no longer on Patreon. Everything is coming over to Substack and can I tell you, substack is great. If you haven't tried it, get on there immediately, especially now. It's great for news and for following other content creators journalists just leaving their positions either newspaper, television, broadcast, whatever. It's a great app. I hope you join me over there. All right, everyone. That's all for this week. I'll see you next week. Bye for now.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Molly McPherson

Host

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.