“Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it.”
The Razzie Awards are rethinking their decision to list 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong in their Worst Actress category.
Following a slew of online backlash, John Wilson, head of the Golden Raspberry Award (or the Razzies) announced they would be removing the child actor from their ballot while issuing an apology in a statement released on Wednesday.
The Razzies annually share their picks for the worst films and performances ahead of the Academy Awards.
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“Sometimes, you do things without thinking,” Wilson began in his statement. “Then you are called out for it. Then you get it. It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place.”
The 68-year-old acknowledged the “valid” criticism for nominating a child, and noted the unwarranted attention and bullying a Worst Actor Razzie could bring to a minor.
“The recent valid criticism of the choice of 11 year old Armstrong as a nominee for one of our awards brought our attention to how insensitive we’ve been in this instance,” he 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.”
Following her role in “Firestarter,” Armstrong along with Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic Park: Dominion), Diane Keaton (Mack & Rita), Kaya Scodelario (The King’s Daughter) and Alicia Silverstone (The Requin) were originally posted for consideration.
The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.
— Julian Hilliard (@_JulianHilliard) January 23, 2023
@_JulianHilliard
Wilson also announced that the Razzies will impose a new age restriction for nominations going forward. “We are adopting a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered for our awards,” he said.
“We have never intended to bury anyone’s career,” Wilson admitted. “It is why our Redeemer Award was created. 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.”
Earlier this week, the organization came under fire for Armstrong’s inclusion with former and current child actors weighing in on the conversation.
“The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong,” Julian Hilliard, “WandaVision” child actor tweeted. “Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.”
Former child star Devon Sawa wrote in a since deleted tweet, “The Razzies are run by soulless people. Nominating a 12-year-old? F–k them. That child could grow to be amazing if you haven’t gotten in their head.”
