The satirical award show admitted nominating a 12-year-old for worst actress was out of line.
The Golden Raspberry Awards, known more commonly as the Razzies, is an annual satirical awards show, serving as a parallel to major awards shows like the Oscars or Golden Globes. Rather than achievement in entertainment, the Razzies “recognize” underachievement and low points in the entertainment industry, from poorly-received films to underwhelming performances.
While most of the yearly awards are in good fun, the showrunners admitted that one of this year’s nominations went a little too far. Specifically, this year’s nomination for worst actress: 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for her performance in Firestarter. The show received blowback for insensitivity toward such a young actor, and as a result, publicly apologized and rescinded her nomination.
“Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it. It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place,” Razzies co-founder John B. Wilson said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The recent valid criticism of the choice of 11 year old (sic) Armstrong as a nominee for one of our awards brought our attention to how insensitive we’ve been in this instance,” the statement continued. “As a result, we have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month. We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices.”
After nominating 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for "worst actress," the Razzie Awards have apologized and implemented an age limit. https://t.co/SU5HRVWbCJ
— Variety (@Variety) January 25, 2023
“We have never intended to bury anyone’s career. It is why our Redeemer Award was created,” the statement concluded. “We all make mistakes, very much us included. Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it.”
Going forward, the Razzies will only nominate actors and actress at least 18 years of age or older.
