James Cameron Misses 2023 Oscars Ceremony for 'Personal Reasons'

Dana Rose Falcone
·2 min read
2
Director James Cameron attends Red Carpet Green Dress at the Private Residence of Jonas Tahlin, CEO of Absolut Elyx on February 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Director James Cameron attends Red Carpet Green Dress at the Private Residence of Jonas Tahlin, CEO of Absolut Elyx on February 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
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Gabriel Olsen/Getty James Cameron

Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron was unable to attend Sunday's 2023 Oscars in support of the movie's four nominations.

Producer Jon Landau told Variety that Cameron, 68, could not attend due to "personal reasons," although the Titanic director did attend a dinner with the other nominees Saturday night.

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Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel joked about Cameron's absence in his opening monologue.

"You know a show is too long when even James Cameron can't sit through it," quipped Kimmel, 55, referring to The Way of Water's 192-minute runtime.

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Kimmel acknowledged rumors circling about why Cameron skipped the ceremony.

"Some of the cynics are saying James Cameron isn't here because he didn't get a Best Director nomination," the late-night host said. "And while I find that very hard to believe about a man of such deep humility, he does have a point. I mean, how does the Academy not nominate the guy who directed Avatar? What do they think he is, a woman?"

The Avatar sequel did receive nominations in the Best Picture, Best Achievement in Production Design, Best Achievement in Visual Effects and Best Sound categories. In 1998, Cameron picked up three Oscar wins, including Best Picture and Best Director, for Titanic.

Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.
Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.

Kevin Winter/Getty

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The Way of Water recently beat out Titanic to become the third-highest-grossing film of all time. The original Avatar still holds the top spot.

"James Cameron has now directed three $2 billion dollar movies," Kimmel said at the 95th Academy Awards. "Or given his marital history, three $1 billion dollar movies."

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The Oscars are airing live on ABC.