LA fires: UTA to skip pre-Oscars party, donate to charities

Talent agency to skip pre-Oscars party this year, donate to LA-area wildfire charities instead

BY Will Sayre El Segundo

PUBLISHED 9:30 AM PT Feb. 20, 2025 PUBLISHED 9:30 AM PST Feb. 20, 2025

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — United Talent Agency has decided to scrap its annual pre-Oscars gala and will opt to make donations to wildfire relief charities instead, according to media reports Thursday.

The devastating wildfires — including the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires — caused widespread destruction across Southern California and impacted the scheduling of multiple award shows. The Oscars are expected to address January's fires during the March 2 ceremony, hosted by Conan O'Brien.

According to Deadline, 20 of UTA's clients are nominated for Oscars, such as Cynthia Erivo ("Wicked"), Timothée Chalamet ("A Complete Unknown") and Mikey Madison ("Anora").

Thursday's report indicates that the Beverly Hills-based agency will honor its nominees with donations.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Will Sayre - Digital Media Producer

Will Sayre is a digital producer at Spectrum News. He graduated with honors from Boston University's College of Communication in three years and went on to work at Warner Bros. for the Emmy-winning series 'Crime Watch Daily' and 'Extra.' Sayre has interviewed many celebrities over the years, including Wolfgang Puck and Sugar Ray Leonard.