Lin-Manuel Miranda Not Attending Oscars Due to COVID Diagnosis

Songwriter and Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda posted on Twitter Saturday that he won’t be in attendance at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday. In the message, Miranda shared that his wife had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to step aside. Miranda and his children tested negative themselves, but precaution and the Academy’s rules at the Dolby Theater make this the easier choice.

“Made it to Hollywood…This weekend, my wife tested [positive] for COVID,” Miranda wrote. “She’s doing fine. Kids & I have tested [negative], but out of caution, I won’t be going to the Oscars tomorrow night. Cheering for my TickTickBoom & Encanto families w my own family, alongside all of you, ALL of you.”

Miranda is nominated for his work with Encanto, which would make him the youngest EGOT winner in history if he walks away with the statue. He was previously nominated in 2017 for composing “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana, another Disney animated favorite. He would still have plenty of time to obtain the awards rarity, joining the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Rita Moreno and John Legend in the exclusive club.

And while he’s not nominated directly, his first directorial effort, Tick, Tick…Boom! is also nominated at the show. Andrew Garfield received a Best Actor nod for his role in the film, while it also netted a nomination for Best Editing.

Encanto will still be well represented on Sunday, with a performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” taking over the stage, plus the film’s potential win for Best Animated Feature.

Los Angeles is one of the few places left to require masks and vaccine verification at large indoor events of more than 1,000 people. The Academy Awards did manage to get the mask mandate lifted for the Dolby Theatre, though masks and social distancing are still recommended. So precautions by those looking to attend or for their families isn’t too much of a surprise. The Academy also released some updated guidelines on Friday to cover any potential spikes. The BAFTA Awards presented an opportunity to see how prior guidelines would work out, with a spike in positive cases assuring some changes.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “those who tested positive for COVID-19 and are within a zero to five-day window from the date of their first positive test are not permitted to attend under any circumstances.” Miranda could likely still attend given his negative test, but it would likely be seen only as a technicality.