Razzies gets slammed for nominating child actor for Worst Actress

The Razzie Awards spark controversy after nominating an eleven-year-old child actor for Worst Actress, leading to calls for it to be cancelled.

The Raids sparked controversy when they nominated an eleven-year-old child actor for their infamous Worst Actress award. The satirical ceremony airs the day before the Oscars each year and is meant to be a light-hearted jab at some of the industry’s worst-received performances and productions of the year. However, the Razzies’ reception has always been divisive, and the awards have been known to spark controversy in the past, including the nomination of Shelley Duval for The brilliant and a category created exclusively for Bruce Willis in 2022, just days before his family announced his early retirement following his unfortunate diagnosis of aphasia.

The Razzies’ controversial decision to name child actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the Worst Actress category for her performance in Fire starter provoked a visceral reaction. Many took to social media to express their disapproval of the decision and the ceremony itself, and also defended the actor in question. It’s not the first time a child actor has been nominated for a Razzie, with Young Anakin Skywalker star Jake Lloyd de Star Wars: The Phantom Menace not only landed the nomination, but eventually quit acting after unfortunately being bullied due to the film’s poor reception, and his Razzie nomination was no doubt a contributing factor. Some of the reactions to this latest controversy can be seen below:

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Will the Razzies rescind their Worst Actress nomination?

The Razzies must now decide whether to stick with their decision or overturn it following the intense criticism it drew. Choosing not to rescind the actor’s Worst Actress nomination would likely only further damage the ceremony’s already dodgy reputation, so it would be in their best interest to admit their mistake. It wouldn’t be the first reversal; Last year, Willis’ award was rescinded following his aphasia diagnosis, though it wasn’t before they stood by their decision, which only caused more backlash. This shows that it’s possible that the current Worst Actress nomination will be overturned, though the uproar should be strong enough to trigger the change.

The Razzie Awards have been around since 1981, but social media means the public outcry is much more visible now than when the ceremony was created. That likely contributed to Willis’ eventual removal from the category, and now the awards are under pressure again to overturn another controversial move. There has been only one other instance of an award being waived, with Razzie being retroactively removed from Duvall for Worst Actress for her performance in The brilliant, which accompanied the Willis judgment. Although intended as light-hearted fun, the inclusion of a child in its most recent version was seen as short-sighted and potentially very harmful, especially given Lloyd’s previous experience.

It’s time for the Razzies to end

With the nomination of Willis last year, and now the nomination of a child actor this year, the Razzies seem to be causing more conflict than the comedy relief they claim. Despite being a parody, the “rewards“can have real and serious implications for its contestants, especially a child who probably doesn’t have the thick skin and rowdy experience that an adult might have. Many critics of the Raids believe they are doing more harm than good, and therefore need to be stopped. The last two iterations of the ceremony seem to have proven that it’s not possible for them to avoid controversy and potential damage, so perhaps the best course of action would be for the awards to finally end.

Next: Razzie Nominations Prove Just How Awesome Tom Hanks Really IsSource: Twitter (see links above)