Emilia Pérez Star Karla Sofia Gascon Apologizes After Controversial Tweets Backlash: 'I Know This Suffering'

Oscar-nominated actress Karla Sofía Gascón of Emilia Pérez issues an apology after receiving backlash over controversial tweets from her past. Read on to know the details.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Jan 31, 2025 | 04:02 PM IST | 5.8K

CC: YouTube

Karla Sofía Gascón, who became the first-ever trans-gendered actress to be Oscar-nominated for her film Emilia Pérez, is under fire after her old social media posts surfaced, which have sparked a wave of public backlash.

The tweets shared between 2020 and 2021 contained some inflammatory remarks about Islam, George Floyd, and diversity at the Oscars. Many posts were deleted after journalist Sarah Hagi brought them to public attention.

As the backlash grew, Gascón apologized, stating to Variety that her previous social media activity was hurtful. She said she devoted her entire life to advocating for social justice and was sorry to cause pain through her words while acknowledging her faith in positive change.

She stated, “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. As someone in a marginalized community. I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”

One post from late 2020 was concerning as Gascón believed to be an increasing Muslim population in Spain, with references made to the number of women sporting headscarves in recent times and comments stating Arabic would soon be taught in schools instead of English.

In yet another post, she added a picture of a Muslim family eating in a restaurant and wrote with sarcasm about how Islam degrades women by hiding their faces. She wrote in Spanish (translated by Variety), “Islam is marvelous, without any machismo. Women are respected, and when they are so respected, they are left with a little squared hole on their faces for their eyes to be visible and their mouths, but only if she behaves. Although they dress this way for their own enjoyment. How DEEPLY DISGUSTING OF HUMANITY.”

As much as criticism against Islam extended, she criticized Christianity and Catholics for being just another faith on the books for human rights she claimed religious doctrines violated.

Gascón also made controversial statements regarding George Floyd, whose murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 ignited global protests. In a post written shortly after his death, she minimized the significance of his case, portraying him as a criminal while also condemning both racism and excessive police force.

Being the first openly transgender actress in contention for Best Actress, Karla Sofia Gascón was set to be a trendsetter. But Netflix, desperate to mitigate the damage done by her worrisome digital footprint, perhaps puts an axe to that dream this awards season.