The many scandals from this year's Oscars... and why the controversies could turn off viewers in droves

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The upcoming 97th Academy Awards could be remembered as one of the most controversial events in the show's illustrious history.

From shock snubs to accusations of racism, many of this year's most prestigious films and their A-list stars have been embroiled in scandal.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, crisis PR specialist Eric Schiffer of Reputation Management Consultants said that the controversy could definitely be a problem for this year's ceremony.

'I think the Academy may be concerned that the image of the event and the Oscars is one of scandal and controversy versus celebration of artistic excellence,' he said.

'To the extent that there's these scandals, there's this crippling racial element in all of it that paints an uglier side of the Oscars and that's going to turn off viewers, not attract them.'

When it comes to Best Actress nominee Karla Sofia Gascon - who is currently under fire over offensive social media posts - Schiffer advised that she stay quiet on the night of the awards. 

'She may want to get photographed and then stay away - she should not answer questions because it's not the venue for it,' he said.

DailyMail.com takes a look at some of this year's biggest Oscars controversies below.

The Brutalist's AI controversy 

The upcoming 97th Academy Awards could be remembered as one of the most controversial events in the show's illustrious history (Adrien Brody pictured)

One of the top Oscar contenders, The Brutalist, has stirred backlash over its use of AI to adjust the Hungarian dialogue of actor Adrien Brody.

In the film, which runs for a grueling three hours and thirty-five minutes, Brody portrays László Tóth, a Holocaust survivor and Hungarian architect who tries to continue his artistic career in post-war America. 

English actress Felicity Jones stars as his wife, Erzsébet Tóth.

Brody, who already won Best Actor at the Golden Globes for the role, was considered the frontrunner for the Oscar until controversy erupted after editor Dávid Jancsó revealed that AI was used to refine Brody and Jones' Hungarian lines to 'sound more authentic.'

Speaking to Red Shark News, Jancsó explained that AI tools from Ukrainian company Respeecher were used to adjust some of the cast's Hungarian pronunciation. 

Brody and Jones' voices were processed with the help of native Hungarian Jancsó's own delivery.

Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones are pictured in The Brutalist

Jancsó told the publication, 'Hungarian is notoriously hard to pronounce, especially for those from Anglo-Saxon backgrounds, as certain sounds can be difficult.'

He continued, 'We first tried ADRing those parts with the actors, then with other actors, but nothing worked. So, we turned to AI for help.'

Jancsó emphasized that the team was careful to preserve the actors' performances, saying it was mostly about adjusting certain sounds and speeding up the process.

'With so much Hungarian dialogue, we needed to make the process faster. Otherwise, we'd still be editing,' he added.

Generative AI was also used in a climactic scene to generate 'architectural drawings and buildings' in Tóth's style.

The use of AI sparked outrage online, with many arguing it could hurt the film's chances during awards season. 

One fan wrote, 'Altering a performance with AI like that should disqualify someone from awards shows.' 

Another said, 'The Brutalist used AI to manipulate Brody's accent and design buildings? The film preaches artistic integrity for 3.5 hours — now this?'

Emilia Perez star's social media scandal

Emilia Perez's Karla Sofia Gascon has faced waves of backlash since her past offensive social media posts resurfaced online

Meanwhile, the leading star of this year's most nominated film is currently under fire for past offensive social media posts.  

Emilia Perez's Karla Sofia Gascon has faced waves of backlash since her past posts on X, formerly Twitter, resurfaced online. 

In the posts, Gascon criticized everything from Islam and the Oscars itself to Adele and her own Emilia Perez co-star Selena Gomez. 

Muslim writer Sarah Hagi uncovered the posts, which included a controversial 2020 remark about Muslims in Spain, where Gascon expressed discomfort about the increasing presence of Muslim women in head coverings. 

Another post disparaged the Islamic faith and its treatment of women, calling it 'disgusting.' 

Gascon also weighed in on the death of George Floyd, claiming few cared about his death and suggesting the issue was more about social class than racism. 

'I really think that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict swindler, but his death has served to once again demonstrate that there are people who still consider black people to be monkeys without rights and consider policemen to be assassins. They're all wrong,' she posted.

'Too many things to reflect on regarding the behavior of our species every time an event occurs. Perhaps it is no longer a question of racism, but of social classes that feel threatened by each other. Maybe that’s the only real difference.' 

Emilia Perez director Jacques Audiard has publicly condemned the transgender actress (pictured together)

Additionally, she criticized the Oscars in 2021, calling the ceremony 'ugly' and too focused on protest films.

'I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M,' she tweeted. 

In another post, Gascon body-shamed Adele over her weight loss, speculating that the singer had excess skin after her transformation.

In response to the backlash, Gascon issued an apology, acknowledging the harm caused by her posts. 'I'm deeply sorry for the pain I've caused,' she said.

She also complained about 'cancel culture' and said that she and her family had been receiving death threats over her past posts. 

Her contrition hasn't been enough to save her, with Netflix already dropping Gascon from their Oscars campaign and instead refocusing around Zoe Saldana, who is a frontrunner to win Best Supporting Actress in the Spanish musical.

Additionally, Emilia Perez director Jacques Audiard has publicly condemned the transgender actress. 

In a scathing interview with Deadline, Audiard condemned Gascon and accused her of hurting the cast and crew of Emilia Perez by refusing to stay silent in the wake of her social media scandal.

'I haven't spoken to her, and I don't want to. She is in a self-destructive approach that I can't interfere in, and I really don't understand why she's continuing. Why is she harming herself? Why?' he told the publication. 

He also accused the actress of 'playing the victim' in the wake of the scandal. 

Anora's intimacy coordinator drama

Mikey Madison, a contender for Best Actress for her role in Anora, sparked backlash for refusing to use an intimacy coordinator for the film's racy sex scenes

Mikey Madison, a contender for Best Actress for her role in Anora, found herself in the middle of a debate over intimacy coordinators after shooting nude scenes for the indie drama.

Madison, who plays a stripper named Ani in the romantic drama, decided to forgo an intimacy coordinator - a decision that outraged feminists.

She explained her choice in a conversation with Pamela Anderson for Variety, stating that while the filmmakers offered an intimacy coordinator, she preferred to keep the set small and streamlined with just the actors and key crew.

'It was a positive experience for me,' Madison insisted, noting that she felt prepared for the role and that it was 'her choice' to forgo an intimacy coordinator.  

Despite Madison's comfortability and confidence in her choice to ditch an intimacy coordinator, many progressive filmgoers on social media were enraged by the move.

'Not a single intimacy coordinator on the set of a movie about a prostitute??? Good god,' commented one.

'Love you Mikey, but this is a f***ing insane thing to say in front of Pamela Anderson who has suffered through sexual harassment her entire career. Like, this is not a good thing,' another wrote.

A third wrote, 'Pam looked so uncomfortable during this whole exchange. It’s good that Mikey had a great experience, but there's a reason why intimacy coordinators are there on set and IMO shouldn’t be an option given to actors.'

Another commented, 'Can we stop acting like having intimacy coordinators makes you a worse actor? Why did everyone suddenly start bragging about not "needing" one like it somehow relates to their talent or commitment? Intimacy coordinators are very much necessary stop this madness.' 

The Last Showgirl snubbed

Pamela Anderson outraged filmgoers after being snubbed for an Oscar for her role in The Last Showgirl

After earning a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination, many were hoping Pamela Anderson would score her first Oscar nomination this year for The Last Showgirl.

The critically-acclaimed indie film - which follows an aging Las Vegas showgirl who must evolve when her show is shut down - earned scores of rave reviews for Anderson's portrayal of Shelly Gardner in director Gia Coppola's film.

Unfortunately, the Baywatch babe's name wasn't called when the 97th Academy Awards nominations were revealed.

Pam's fans took to X to express their anger over the slight.

'She is an amazing actress, why on earth was she left off the list?' asked one fan.

Another piped up: 'Pamela was done wrong by the Academy Awards, not fair.'

While some consider her exclusion a snub, Anderson herself insisted that she wasn't expecting her name to be called at all.

'Oh my gosh, it's not something I ever expected. Doing the work is the win,' Anderson said in an interview with Elle.

'That’s what I like to do, and I think we can lose sight of that sometimes in this whole crazy awards season, but it's nice to be recognized, and it’s all a bonus,' she added. 

I'm Still Here's blackface blunder 

Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres offered up an apology after a sketch in which she was done up in blackface nearly two decades ago recently resurfaced

Finally, Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres offered up an apology after a sketch in which she was done up in blackface nearly two decades ago recently resurfaced.

The 59-year-old Brazilian actress, who shocked awards prognosticators when she was nominated for her performance in I'm Still Here, made the offensive display when she was featured in a segment on the Brazilian TV show Fantástico 17 years earlier.

Torres starred as multiple characters in the sketch, including one whom she portrayed using blackface.

The offensive display was from when she was featured in a segment on the Brazilian TV show Fantástico 17 years ago

'Almost twenty years ago, I appeared in blackface in a comedy sketch from a Brazilian TV show,' Torres said in a statement to Deadline.

'I am very sorry for this. I'm making this statement as it is important for me to address this swiftly to avoid further pain and confusion'

'At that time, despite the efforts of Black movements and organizations, the awareness of the racist history and symbolism of blackface hadn't yet entered the mainstream public consciousness in Brazil,' continued Torres, who became the first Brazilian to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

'Thanks to better cultural understanding and important but incomplete achievements in this century, it’s very clear now in our country and everywhere that blackface is never acceptable,' she continued.

'This is an important conversation we must continue to have with one another in order to prevent the normalization of racist practices then and now,' Torres concluded.

'As an artist and global citizen, and from my open heart, I remain attentive and committed to the pursuit of vital changes needed to live in a world free from inequality and racism.'