AceShowbiz - In an unsurprising move amid all the online ruckus, Karla Sofia Gascon, the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an Oscar, has been removed from the awards campaign for the film "Emilia Perez." This follows backlash over offensive social media posts she made in the past, which recently resurfaced and caused widespread condemnation.

According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix, the distributor of "Emilia Pérez," opted to exclude Gascón from their "For Your Consideration" page after her old posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) came to light.

Gascón's statements, classified as racist, antisemitic, and Islamophobic, were met with severe criticism and led Netflix to cancel her planned appearances at numerous award events including the AFI Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, and the Producers Guild Awards. Her recent interview with CNN en Espanol was reportedly arranged by herself, not Netflix.

Tensions are said to be high between Gascón and Netflix, who reportedly decided against covering her travel and accommodation expenses for award season events. Gascon's image is also being removed from promotional material and billboards as Netflix seeks to distance itself from the controversy surrounding her.

The posts in question included comments where Gascón called Islam "a hotbed of infection for humanity that urgently needs to be cured" and referred to George Floyd as a "drug addict swindler." Other posts criticized the 2021 Oscars, making derogatory remarks about diversity and inclusion.

Gascon has issued public apologies, stating, "I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt. As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain."

Gascon was additionally accused of calling her co-star Selena Gomez a "rich rat" who couldn't stop pestering her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin. Despite the screenshot on the internet, Gascon who has deleted her Twitter account called the post fake.

Amidst these setbacks, Gascón remains in the running for the Best Actress Oscar. "I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone," she stated defiantly.

Adding to the complexities of this situation, Gascón reportedly accused fellow Best Actress nominee, Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres and the people around her, of orchestrating a social media attack, a claim that has been debunked.

Nonetheless, the damage to her public image is significant, impacting not only her own reputation but also the awards prospects for "Emilia Pérez," which was once considered a frontrunner for Best Picture.

Gascón's co-star, Zoe Saldana who's nominated for Best Supporting Actress, was saddened by the situation, "It makes me really sad because I don't support [her views], and I don't have any tolerance for any negative rhetoric towards people of any group."

The entire saga has added an unprecedented layer of drama to this year's Oscar race, raising questions about accountability, redemption, and the complexities of navigating past mistakes in the limelight of a digital age.