The Razzie Awards issued an apology after being blasted for targeting a 12-year-old actress with their unfiltered criticism.
The awards show celebrates the worst in film but fans pushed back on their handling of the nomination of then-11-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for worst actress. Armstrong played a girl with pyrokinetic abilities in “Firestarter,” and fans were disappointed to see a child being shamed by the nomination. Angry social media users slammed the organization for harshly categorizing a young child and called them “hateful.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for “Worst Actress” is so completely ignorant and cynical I can’t wrap my head around it. They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life. (1/7)
— Brandon Hardesty (@Brandon_Hrdesty) January 24, 2023
“The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for “Worst Actress” is so completely ignorant and cynical I can’t wrap my head around it,” a user named Brandon said on Twitter.
“They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life,” he added.
The Golden Raspberry Awards is no stranger to criticism, but this years decision to nominate 12 year old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress goes one step further, with the move being labelled bullying and stripping the joke of its wit.#Razzies #razzieawards https://t.co/yKzSDFKlfc
— Guy Lambert (@GuyBertie) January 23, 2023
“The Golden Raspberry Awards is no stranger to criticism, but this years decision to nominate 12 year old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress goes one step further, with the move being labelled bullying and stripping the joke of its wit,” said another angered fan.
A Twitter user named Collin Souter voiced concern about how the nomination could affect such a young child.
The Razzies’ brand of hateful bullshit gets national attention every year. Ryan Kiera Armstrong has to go to school tomorrow.
Stop covering them. They’re not funny. They never were.
— Collin Souter (@collin_souter) January 23, 2023
“The Razzies’ brand of hateful bullshit gets national attention every year,” he said. “Ryan Kiera Armstrong has to go to school tomorrow. Stop covering them. They’re not funny. They never were,” he wrote to Twitter.
“The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong,” wrote Julian Hilliard. “Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better,” he wrote.
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
Co-founder of the Razzies, John Wilson, issued an apology Wednesday and removed Armstrong’s name from the list of ‘worst actress’ nominees.
“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,” Wilson wrote, according to Euro News. (RELATED: 70s Child Actor Lance Kerwin Dead At 62)
“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 wrote.
John Wilson, the founder of the Razzie Awards, has apologised to 12-year-old #RyanKieraArmstrong for nominating her in the Worst Actress category.
Read More:https://t.co/A5MPD3cKiH
— ABP LIVE (@abplive) January 26, 2023
Wilson then apologized publicly to the young actress.
“We also believe a public apology is owed to Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices,” Wilson wrote.
Wilson promised change, saying, “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,” according to Euro News.
“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. Since our motto is “Own Your Bad,” we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it.” Wilson wrote.