The 2024 Oscars were momentarily delayed as protesters gathered in Hollywood to call for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Dolby Theater ceremony, initially scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., did not begin until six minutes past the hour. Once ABC's red carpet coverage lasted a few minutes, the broadcast was delayed by a commercial break, a fix that will likely give more time for the celebrity guests who were rushing behind to take their seats.
The demonstration, in which about 1,000 protesters participated, reinforced the arrival of celebrities on the red carpet, with approximately 350 protesters blocking the cavalcade of limousines at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue. “Killers of the Flower Moon” actress Lily Gladstone, nominated for lead actress, was seen getting out of her vehicle and riding in a golf cart to the theater.
Otherwise, attendees opted to walk the remaining distance up Highland to the venue (more men, less women in heels) to make it to the start time. Christoph Waltz, with a bit of sweat on his forehead, left the limousine checkpoint at Sunset and Highland, where he had been standing for at least 10 minutes. Waltz could be heard telling his publicist that it looked like the police and protesters were about to “get into a big fight.”
The delay occurred when the broadcast had already been moved forward an hour. Host Jimmy Kimmel referenced the ceremony's lateness at the beginning of his monologue: “Congratulations to each and every one of you for making it to the Academy Awards and for being on time,” he said. “The show, as you know, started an hour earlier this year. But don't worry, we'll still finish very, very late. “It’s been five minutes and I’m not kidding.”
Staff writer Amy Kaufman contributed to this report.
Oscar attendees crossed the police line to get to the ceremonies. Los Angeles police beefed up patrols in the area in anticipation of protests and pushed back protesters who tried to block people from entering the checkpoint in Highland.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
