Overview
- Gere recounts going off script at the 1993 Oscars to condemn China’s human rights record in Tibet, directly invoking Deng Xiaoping during a presenting slot.
- Show producer Gil Cates criticized the remarks and reportedly vowed not to invite him back, leading to roughly two decades off the Oscars stage until his 2013 return.
- The Academy never issued a formal public ban, and a spokesperson denied banning presenters in 2007, though coverage describes the exclusion as effective and long‑running.
- Gere remains barred from entering China and says his activism has cost him work, citing financiers stepping back and past distribution pressure around films like Red Corner.
- He is executive producer of the 2025 Dalai Lama documentary Wisdom of Happiness and says he views the Oscars episode through the leader’s teachings, adding he never discussed it with him.