Famous actress Jean Smart recently raised an important suggestion amidst the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

At 73, Smart, who just secured a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, put forth an intriguing idea: why not skip broadcasting an upcoming awards show and instead direct the funds to those affected by the tragic California fires?

Southern California faces a dire situation with at least five fires raging, consuming tens of thousands of acres. These blazes have left over a thousand structures in ashes, leading to severe destruction expected to result in billions in damages, marking it as one of the nation’s most costly natural disasters. The fires have tragically claimed at least 10 lives so far.

In response to these calamities, Smart took to Instagram with a heartfelt message for Hollywood. She urged the networks to reconsider their positions:

“Attention! With ALL due respect, during Hollywood’s season of celebration, I hope any of the networks televising the upcoming awards will seriously consider NOT televising them and donating the revenue they would have garnered to victims of the fires and the firefighters,” she proposed.

The reactions to her suggestion were varied. One supportive follower applauded Smart, saying, “Bravo Jean 👏👏👏”. However, others pointed out a perceived bias, questioning if such initiatives were seen for disasters outside Hollywood’s proximity, like in Hawaii or Western North Carolina.

One commenter raised a concern from a different angle, arguing that canceling the awards might hurt others financially. They elaborated, “Taking away award season is a silly idea.

This is giving Covid, actors strike job loss energy. I understand your intentions but SO many people lose a good chunk of money during award season.

It’s the busiest time of the year for me and I suffered so much job loss during Covid and the actors strike that financially I’m still trying to recover from and now you’re suggesting taking away 3 months of work for me. Pls rethink these thoughts,” the user explained.

A continuation of this thought suggested that perhaps the industry can combine both purposes: “Award shows can maybe donate money from parties and goodie bags to those affected by the fires and they also offer a good platform to talk about climate change and what is happening here.

It’s easy when you make a good salary from a very successful show to make this kind of while well-intentioned is damaging to hundreds of people who work in the industry.”

Another voice in the discussion supported the idea of continuing the show responsibly with emphasis on the issue at hand: “NO….the Show Must Go On… there is a time and a way to do it respectfully and while calling attention to how to donate and keeping these much-needed jobs for the people who work on these shows,” they suggested. Another echoed, “No. Have the award shows, generate the revenue to donate.”