Richard Gere recently discussed his long absence from Hollywood’s biggest awards night and shared how he processed the fallout.
In a new interview with Variety published Dec. 3, 2025, the actor reflected on his two-decade break from the Academy Awards and explained that he never let it weigh heavily on him.
He described his response as calm, explaining that he understood the situation rather than resenting it.
Why was Richard Gere unofficially banned from the Oscars?
The ban from the Academy began in 1993, when he presented during the Oscars ceremony and deviated from the script. Rather than simply announcing the Best Art Direction nominees, Gere spoke about what he called China’s “horrendous, horrendous human rights issue” in Tibet.
At the time, he urged viewers that “if something miraculous, really kind of movie-like, could happen here, where we could all kind of send love and truth and a kind of sanity to Deng Xiaoping right now in Beijing, that he will take his troops and take the Chinese away from Tibet and allow people to live as free independent people again.”
Oscar officials were reportedly “most upset” with Gere’s political callout, with Oscar show producer Gil Cates calling his statement “outrageous,” according to the LA Times.
According to the outlet Cates also said, “Does anyone care about Richard Gere’s comments about China? It’s arrogant.”
Gere told Variety, “I didn’t take it particularly personally. I didn’t think there were any bad guys in the situation.” Instead, he noted that he chose to continue speaking as he believed necessary.
He shared that his public advocacy aimed at injustice and exclusion, not individuals. He also referenced his 45-year friendship with the Dalai Lama as a cornerstone of his worldview.
During the intervening 20 years, he continued speaking publicly about Tibet. In addition, he backed the 2025 documentary Wisdom of Happiness as an executive producer, and previously supported a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I’ve never worked this hard to get a film that I’ve been associated with to be seen in the world,” Gere said.
“I think this is important enough that I have to give my last bit of energy to put this out there for people to see. At the very least, it will put a seed in the minds of people who see it.”
Gere is barred from entering China as a result of his political advocacy.
Social media responses
Online reactions surfaced soon after his interview circulated. On Reddit, u/RecordHigh wrote, “Two things can be true here, 1) his statements were righteous, and 2) he shouldn’t have said them at that time. If he was the awardee and he wanted to use his time to make those statements, more power to him, but he used time that was intended to honor someone else for his political statements.”
Meanwhile, @bfc62dcfd tweeted, “They obviously haven’t condemned DeNiro for his political statements or banned him from the Oscars.”
Another user, @PinkSuperstarr, expressed disappointment that Gere never received an Oscar nomination. They claimed, “And that is why he was never nominated for an Oscar. Even though he DEFINITELY deserved one for Chicago.”
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