The organisers of the Academy Awards have said they want ‘everyone to feel safe and protected’ after the FBI issued a warning about the possibility of an Iranian drone attack.
Late last month, the United States launched a ‘major combat operation’ to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, whilst also killing its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A crisis has since stretched across the Middle East, as the country launched retaliatory drone attacks targeting US bases in neighbouring countries, who’ve also been forced to close their airspace.
The US and Israel are continuing their attacks on Iran, where at least 1,348 people have been killed. Up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside the country by the war.
Concerns about the war have now stretched as far as Hollywood, with law enforcement in California being told by the FBI that Iran could potentially launch drones towards the West Coast, as reported by ABC News.
Ahead of the Oscars this weekend, organisers of the event were asked about attendee safety at a press conference attended by Metro.
‘I feel like on this show, we have one of the best teams in the business in all aspects, and that comes down to our security team,’ executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor said.
‘So, of course, every year we monitor what’s going on in the world. We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD, and it’s a close collaboration.
‘This show has to run like clockwork, but we want everybody that is coming to this show, that is witnessing the show, that is even a fan of the show, when they’re standing outside the barricades, we want everybody to feel safe and protected and welcome. So, it’s our job as the producing team to make sure that that translates and that really comes down to us with this very tight relationship, and we have a whole other team of support. It’s something that we don’t take lightly, and we take a lot of responsibility for.’
Although the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department officials would not comment on the memo from the FBI, it said in a statement to the LA Times that it was continuing to operate at an ‘elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance’.
Variety has also reported that security at the Oscars has been increased but is not ‘overtly visible’.
During the press conference, host Conan O’Brien was also asked about whether politics would be mentioned in his monologue or throughout the broadcast.
‘Well, I can’t speak for the whole show. I’m the host which is a very specific task. I’m brought in to do a host job, which is, I think, to put people at ease and make them laugh,’ he shared.
‘Last year we acknowledged some of the things that were going on in Los Angeles that had really impacted our whole creative community with the fire. And I think that what’s happening in the world will be reflected throughout the show.
‘My job is to always try and hit this very, very thin line, I think, between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities. So, it is a dance. It’s a dance that goes on up until the show begins. I’ve been working for a really long time on material for the show with my writers, and it’s still evolving, because we live in a very fast-paced world, so jokes we thought of two months ago are irrelevant now and there might be things that happen this week that will find their way into the show.’
O’Brien went on to say he’d be ‘using my best judgement’ and ‘finding the right tone’.
The 2026 Oscars will take place on Sunday night, with the 98th annual ceremony being held at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre.
The American horror film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, leads the nominations charge with a record-breaking 16 nods.
It is also nominated for best picture alongside One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, Hamnet, Bugonia, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, The Secret Agent and F1.
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