Richard Gere makes rare admission about being one of the few celebs banned from Oscars

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.

It's been 32 years since Richard Gere was legally barred from attending the annual Academy Awards - but apparently, the actor couldn't care less.

For those in need of a reminder, the controversy kicked off back in 1993, when the Pretty Woman favourite was selected by organisers to present an award for Best Art Direction.

Prior to handing the prestigious accolade to winners Luciana Arrighi and Ian Whittaker for their contribution to historical romance Howards End, Gere veered off script to issue a political warning.

The now 76-year-old took the opportunity to shun China for its 'horrendous, horrendous human rights issue' in Tibet.

"If something miraculous, really kind of movie-like, could happen here, where we could all kind of send love and truth and a kind of sanity to Deng Xiaoping right now in Beijing," the Hollywood veteran told attendees.

"That he will take his troops and take the Chinese away from Tibet and allow people to live as free, independent people again."

It was subsequently revealed that Gere's passionate announcement had earned him a 20-year ban, as well as a ban from the whole of China.

The move also added him to the seemingly ever-growing list of stars who've landed themselves similar punishments.

What has Gere said about his ban?

In the years since, the practicing Buddhist has only discussed the decision to bar him from the yearly ceremony a handful of times - including earlier this week, when he spoke to Variety about the controversial decision.

"I didn’t take it particularly personally," he insisted. "| 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. I mean to harm anger. I mean to harm exclusion.

"I mean to harm human rights abuses, but I try to stay as close to where His Holiness comes from."

Gere was banned in 1993 (KMazur/WireImage)

The latter refers to the Dalai Lama - the resident spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet - with whom he's been friends for over 45 years.

"And in the end, everyone has to be redeemed or none of us [are]," Gere continued. "So in that sense, I don’t take it personally."

Who else is banned from the Oscars?

Though the Primal Fear frontman finally returned to the Academy Awards when his ban was lifted in 2013, a number of A-listers remain disallowed from attending the big-name get-together.

Amongst them was the late Godfather II actor Carmine Caridi, who was found by the FBI in 2004 to have been leaking nominated movies, having distributed screener versions of nominated films online - a crime that also saw him fined over $300,000, as well as legal fees.

Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein also received a lifelong expulsion in 2017, amid a horde of sexual assault allegations. Three years later, he was handed a 23-year jail sentence for sexual misconduct, and a further 16 years in 2023, for the rape of an actress. However, this was later overturned.

Will Smith was banned in 2021 (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

A month after being convicted of sexual assault in 2018, actor Bill Cosby also received a lifetime ban. Despite being released after serving two years, the 86-year-old has been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 60 women.

Filmmaker Roman Polanski was banned the same year after he admitted to having unlawful sex with Samantha Geimer in 1977, when she was 13.

Adam Kimmel, a cinematographer, had his membership to the awards revoked in 2021, as it was revealed he was a registered sex offender, having been arrested in 2003 and later pleading guilty to rape in the third degree, having admitted to a sexual relationship with an underage girl.

After the famous slapping of comedian Chris Rock across the face during the 2021 festivities, Will Smith also earned himself a 10-year ban.