Truth behind Richard Gere’s Oscars ban is lastly revealed – three a long time after his wild on-stage rant
Richard Gere spent decades shut out from the Oscars stage and now, he’s finally opening up about Hollywood’s quiet punishment.
The Pretty Woman star, 75, was barred from presenting at the Academy Awards for almost two decades after he went rogue on live television during the 65th ceremony in 1993.
Gere had been invited to present Best Art Direction, but before he read the nominees, he abandoned the teleprompter and launched into a passionate plea over China‘s human rights abuses in Tibet.
With more than a billion viewers worldwide, Gere wondered aloud whether China’s then-leader Deng Xiaoping was watching and urged him to end oppression in Tibet.
His unexpected remarks earned applause in the room, but left Academy officials furious.
At the time, then-AMPAS president Bob Rehme swiftly rebuked him, warning the show was supposed to be about entertainment, ‘not political activities around the world.’
Richard Gere spent decades shut out from the Oscars stage and now, he’s finally opening up about Hollywood’s quiet punishment; seen in 2016
Producer Gil Cates reportedly dismissed the speech entirely, saying, ‘Does anyone care about Richard Gere’s comments about China? It’s arrogant.’
The consequences were immediate as Gere vanished from the Oscars presenters list.
The Daily Mail understands Gere was never banned from the ceremony and frequently asked to attend, but was not able to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
A source connected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences further also confirmed to Page Six: ‘There was no ban.’
For nearly 20 years, Gere, an outspoken supporter of Tibetan independence, was quietly kept away from the podium, even as his films earned Oscars and widespread acclaim.
He appeared in 2002’s Chicago, which dominated the awards season with a Best Picture win, yet he still wasn’t invited to speak onstage.
It wasn’t until 2013, almost two decades later, that Gere was permitted to present again when he joined his Chicago castmates to hand out awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
With a sly smile backstage, he joked to HuffPost UK: ‘Apparently, I’ve been rehabilitated. It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they’ve banned you.’
The Pretty Woman star, 75, was barred from presenting at the Academy Awards for almost two decades after he went rogue on live television during the 65th ceremony in 1993 (seen above)
Gere had been invited to present Best Art Direction, but before he read the nominees, he abandoned the teleprompter and launched into a passionate plea over China’s human rights abuses in Tibet; pictured in 2013
More than three decades after the incident, Gere finally reflected on what really happened and how he felt about the unofficial blacklist.
In a new interview with Variety this month, he insisted he never held a grudge.
‘I didn’t take it particularly personally. 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,’ the father-of-three said.
He added that, ultimately, his activism, rooted in his deep friendship with the Dalai Lama, has always guided him.
‘I mean to harm anger. I mean to harm exclusion. I mean to harm human rights abuses,’ Gere explained. ‘Everyone is redeemable… so in that sense, I don’t take it personally.’
For nearly 20 years, Gere, an outspoken supporter of Tibetan independence, was quietly kept away from the podium, even as his films earned Oscars and widespread acclaim; seen in 2013
The Daily Mail has reached out to Gere’s representative for comment, but has not heard back, at this time.
In 2017, Gere, who has never been nominated for an Oscar, said he believes his outspoken criticism of China and his Tibetan activism has scared off the big studios.
‘There are definitely movies that I can’t be in because the Chinese will say, “Not with him,”‘ he told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘I recently had an episode where someone said they could not finance a film with me because it would upset the Chinese.’
At the time, Gere, who is banned for life from China, also claimed he was not bothered by the Academy ban.
‘I didn’t have to put on a tuxedo again. I was fine with that,’ he quipped.
Recently, Gere said his activism, rooted in his deep friendship with the Dalai Lama, has always guided him; pictured in July 2025
Over the years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has created a list that has banned those who have violated their code of conduct for various reasons.
Will Smith was famously added to the list following the infamous moment he slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face during the 2022 Oscars.
Harvey Weinstein was also banned from the academy in 2017 after his slew sexual abuse allegations.
Additionally, Bill Cosby was barred from the awards ceremony for life in 2018 after he was convicted of sexual assault.
Cinematographer Adam Kimmel was banned from the Academy in 2021 for his history of sex crimes.
