Oscars 2024: Why did Hollywood celebrities wear red pins at the ceremony?

Oscars 2024: Comedian Ramy Youssef wore his red pin on the lapel of a black Zegna tuxedo jacket (Image: AP)

Oscars 2024: Singer Billie Eilish and actor Mark Ruffalo were among the attendees of the Academy Awards on Sunday night who wore red pins calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, a notable exception to an awards season in which many Hollywood stars have been reluctant to draw attention to the conflict.

The pins represent the attendees’ support to Artists4Ceasefire, a group of celebrities and members of the entertainment industry who signed an open letter urging President Biden to call for a cease-fire. The nearly 400 signatories include Bradley Cooper and America Ferrera, as well as Cate Blanchett, Drake, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, the release of all of the hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” Artists4Ceasefire said in a news release, reports nytimes.com. “Compassion must prevail,” the release continued.

Ramy Youssef, a comedian who stars in one of its most-nominated films, Poor Things, wore his red pin on the lapel of a black Zegna tuxedo jacket.

The other entertainers who wore the pins included the director Ava DuVernay, the actor Quannah ChasingHorse, and Eilish, who is nominated for best original song for What Was I Made For? from Barbie. She added the red accent to a black-and-white Chanel ensemble, as did her brother, the producer Finneas.

The Israel-Hamas war has been a relatively small presence on red carpets since the Golden Globe Awards in January, when stars including the Succession actress J. Smith-Cameron wore yellow ribbons to signal solidarity with hostages being held by Hamas.

Each Artists4Ceasefire pin resembles a glossy red quarter, with an image of a hand surrounding a small black heart. The accessories have made intermittent appearances throughout awards season for instance when Members of the indie rock trio Boygenius attached the pins to the lapels of their white Thom Browne suits at the Grammy Awards last month, and the actors Tony Shalhoub and Ebon Moss-Bachrach wore the pins on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards soon after.

Ruffalo, who was nominated for the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role as a slick suitor in Poor Things, also wore one of the Artists4Ceasefire pins to the Directors Guild of America Awards in February. “We’re not going to bomb our way to peace, and all we’re saying is, what’s wrong with giving a cease-fire a chance?” Mr. Ruffalo told Deadline on the DGA red carpet.

Award show red carpets have offered ample opportunities for stars to draw attention to issues of their choosing. Blue ribbons were the accessory of choice at the 2023 Oscars to voice support for refugees. Women in Hollywood wore black to the Golden Globes in 2018 in solidarity with victims of sexual harassment, and Natalie Portman wore a cape embroidered with the womens' names.