Wildfires have shut down Hollywood productions, leaving iconic names like Grey’s Anatomy and Jimmy Kimmel Live waiting for the all-clear in an ongoing climate-fueled emergency in Los Angeles.
Wildfires raging across Los Angeles have forced film and television productions, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” to slam the brakes as California reels from a declared state of emergency. The flames, which erupted Tuesday, have spread through several neighbourhoods, prompting safety concerns and disrupting the city’s entertainment engine. The devastating wildfires that continue to ravage the celebrity-filled enclave of Pacific Palisades and other areas have forced a production shutdown across Los Angeles, as well as the cancellation of a number of key award season events that were set to take place this week. The Critics Choice Awards was set to be the second major televised Hollywood award show for the 2025 season, following last weekend’s Golden Globes.
The award show was set to be held at The Barker Hanger, a venue in Santa Monica, not far from the Pacific Palisades where fire has destroyed at least 1,000 structures and burned more than 5,000 acres. Evacuation orders have also reached residents in Santa Monica where the award show was set to be held. Amid the ongoing wildfires in Southern California, a number of glitzy Hollywood events and red carpet premieres have also been cancelled. The in-person nominations for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were cancelled on Wednesday morning, instead being announced via press release. The annual AFI Awards luncheon, which was set to be held on Jan. 10, will be rescheduled. And the annual BAFTA Tea Party, a key stop in the Oscars race set for Jan. 11 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, has been cancelled, the organization announced.
Also on Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences pushed back the Academy Award nominations announcement two days from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19, and extended the Oscars voting window to give Academy members – many of whom live in LA – more time to cast their ballots. (Voting for Oscars nominations opened Wednesday morning.)
Many Hollywood productions have been forced to stop filming, amid the high winds, smoke and dangerous fires.