Hollywood star and human rights activist Richard Gere has broken his long silence on the two-decade ban from the Academy Awards imposed after his controversial, unscripted comments about Tibet during the 1993 ceremony.
The 1993 Oscars Speech That Sparked a Ban
In a recent interview with Variety, the 76-year-old actor reflected on the incident that saw him exiled from Hollywood's biggest night for twenty years. While presenting the nominees for Best Art Direction at the 1993 Oscars, Gere dramatically departed from the script. He used his platform to call out China's government over its actions in Tibet, directly addressing then-leader Deng Xiaoping.
"If something miraculous, really kind of movie-like, could happen here," Gere said live on air, "where we could all kind of send love and truth and a kind of sanity to Deng Xiaoping right now in Beijing, that he will take his troops and take the Chinese away from Tibet and allow people to live as free independent people again."
Academy Backlash and Gere's Philosophical Response
Despite receiving applause from the audience, the Academy's leadership was furious. The late producer Gil Cates, who oversaw the ceremony, publicly slammed Gere's actions as "arrogant," "distasteful and dishonest." Cates vowed never to invite Gere, or fellow politically outspoken presenters Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, back to the show, comparing the snub to not inviting someone to his home.
When asked about the lengthy ban and the controversy, Gere struck a philosophical tone. "I didn't take it particularly personally," he told Variety. "I didn't think there were any bad guys in the situation. I do what I do and I certainly don't mean anyone any harm. I mean to harm anger. I mean to harm exclusion."
He connected his lifelong activism to his friendship with the Dalai Lama, whom he has never discussed the Oscars speech with. Gere is the executive producer of a 2025 documentary about the Tibetan spiritual leader. "I mean to harm human rights abuses," Gere explained, "but I try to stay as close to where His Holiness comes from… that everyone is redeemable."
A Return to the Spotlight
The unofficial ban finally ended in 2013, when Gere was invited back to present at the Oscars ceremony. However, the actor remains persona non grata in China, where he is banned from entering the country due to his support for Tibetan causes and the Dalai Lama.
Gere's rare comments provide a long-awaited insight into one of the most memorable and contentious political moments in Oscars history, highlighting the enduring clash between celebrity activism and institutional protocol.
