The Razzie Awards has removed a 12-year-old girl from the “Worst Actress” category after social media users called out the organization out for publicly shaming her.
On Monday, the Razzies announced its nominations for 2022’s worst movies and acting performances.
Some of the luminaries receiving the dubious honor included Tom Hanks, Diane Keaton and Penelope Cruz, as well as pre-teen actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong, star of the critically-reviled remake of “Firestarter.”
Although the film currently holds a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, many people thought Armstrong’s nomination was, in the words of one tweeter, “mean-spirited and classless.”
On Wednesday, Razzie Awards co-founder John Wilson released a statement apologizing for Armstrong’s 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.
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.
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.”
Although the Razzie Awards have previously nominated young performers such as a teenage Brooke Shields in 1981 and 8-year-old Jake Lloyd, who played Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” in 2000, Wilson said that will no longer happen.
“Having learned from this lesson, we would also like to announce that, from this point forward, we are adopting a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered for our awards.
“We have never intended to bury anyone’s career. It is why our Redeemer Award was created. We all make mistakes, very much us included.”
Wilson added that the organization’s motto is “Own Your Bad,” and realized that “we ourselves must also live up to it.”
The 43rd Razzie Awards will be announced March 11.