Jean Smart, Rosanna Arquette lead call to turn Oscars, SAG Awards, and Grammys into wildfire relief fundraisers
The usual excitement of Hollywood awards season has evaporated over the past week as deadly wildfires have devastated the Los Angeles region. The wind-fed blazes have swept through more than 40,000 acres, leaving at least 24 people dead, leveling entire neighborhoods, destroying more than 12,300 structures, and displacing 92,000 people as of Monday. The fires have particularly impacted the communities of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena, and Pasadena.
The entertainment industry has understandably struggled with how to proceed, with several events rescheduled or canceled. But veteran actresses Jean Smart and Rosanna Arquette have stepped up to try to convince the organizations behind the Oscars, SAG Awards, and Grammy Awards to transform the upcoming ceremonies into fundraisers.
Smart — who has won multiple Emmys, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards as the star of Max’s Hacks — first floated the idea on Jan. 8, the day after the fires broke out. “ATTENTION! With ALL due respect, during Hollywood’s season of celebration,” she wrote on her Instagram, “I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have garnered to victims of the fires and the firefighters.”
Jean Smart’s Instagram post:
However, keeping the shows off of TV as Smart suggests would yield a significantly smaller monetary return than would shows subsidized by rights fees and advertising. Enter Arquette, who followed up with a Jan. 9 post on Bluesky proposing to turn the awards broadcasts into a multi-date telethon. The actress, best known for the 1980s comedy thriller Desperately Seeking Susan (for which she won a 1986 BAFTA Award), wrote: “I’d love to see the SAG Awards and Oscars and Grammys this year to turn the shows into telethons to raise money for the community, the city of Los Angeles, for families who’ve lost their homes and pets and life’s memories, and for our beloved firefighters that have saved lives.”
Arquette expounded on her idea in a subsequent interview with Variety published on Monday. (Note: Gold Derby and Variety are both owned by Penske Media Corporation.)
“This year, it’s not just about celebrating art,” she stressed. “It’s about using art to rebuild, inspire, and help those who need it most.” Arquette added, “I woke up the other night thinking, ‘What if we did a Jerry Lewis-style telethon but integrated it with the Oscars? Imagine Billy Crystal hosting the show. He lost his home, but he’s the perfect person to unite the room, to remind us of what we can achieve together.” Her idea features nominees and presenters dressed in T-shirts and jeans, raising money in real time.
“This isn’t about actors rebuilding their mansions,” she emphasized. “It’s about helping the people who can’t rebuild — those who’ve lost everything and don’t have the means to start over.”
There has been no immediate comment from the organizations that oversee the various awards. However, several studios, networks, music labels, actors, and performers have contributed to various relief efforts throughout the Los Angeles area.