Leonardo DiCaprio was unable to appear at an awards ceremony in California on Saturday, January 3 due to the fallout from the US military operation in Venezuela.
DiCaprio, 51, was due to accept a Desert Palm Achievement Award for his acclaimed performance in Oscar contender One battle after another at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards gala, but was unable to travel to the event.
“Leonardo DiCaprio is unable to join us in person tonight due to unexpected travel disruptions and restricted airspace,” a spokesperson for the Palm Springs International Film Festival confirmed. Us Weekly. “While we will miss celebrating with him in person, we are honored to recognize his outstanding work and lasting contributions to film. His talent and dedication to the craft continue to inspire, and we are thrilled to celebrate him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award tonight.”
The actor was supposed to leave St. Barts headed to California to attend the Palm Springs gala on Saturday night, but his scheduled flight was unable to take off due to air travel restrictions in the area related to US military action in Venezuela, he said. variety. people reported on Saturday, January 3 that DiCaprio and his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti dated the NFL legend Tom Brady on a yacht off the coast of St. Barts on New Year’s Day.
Leonardo DiCaprio went viral earlier this week for an unfortunate reason while on vacation in Ibiza. According to video footage obtained by The Daily Mail, DiCaprio was detained and searched by Spanish authorities as he tried to enter an Ibiza party hosted by elite actor Arón Piper and Patron tequila brand on Saturday, August 9. DiCaprio, (…)
we DiCaprio has been contacted for comment.
Others have likely faced similar travel issues since Palm Springs International Airport announced via X on Saturday that “an FAA air traffic control issue” was affecting flights.
“Departing flights are currently under a ground stop,” the airport tweeted. “Aircraft have been able to arrive, although some inbound flights have been diverted and delays are expected. This is not specific to PSP and is affecting multiple SoCal airports. Travelers should check directly with their airline for the most recent flight information. PSP will share updates as needed.”
Flights were grounded for about four hours before Palm Springs International Airport confirmed that the “ground stop” orders had finally been “lifted” around 4:20 pm PT.
Saturday before, President donald trump announced that US forces conducted a military raid that led to the arrest of the president of Venezuela. Nicolás Maduroand his wife, Cilia Flores. The politician and his wife were initially detained on the USS Iwo Jima before being brought ashore in New York City to face a criminal trial.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in December 2025.
Getty Images/Federico PARRA/AFPShortly after Maduro’s arrest in a pre-dawn raid, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Venezuelan leader would be tried for “narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices” and “conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.” At a press conference on Saturday, President Trump said the United States was “going to lead” Venezuela until it can ensure “a safe, proper and prudent transition.” (Maduro has repeatedly denied the US-imposed narco-terrorism charges)
“We don’t want to get involved so that somebody else comes in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last few years,” Trump, 79, told reporters. “So we’re going to run the country until such time as we can make a transition that’s safe, proper and judicious, and it has to be prudent.”
The Associated Press reported on Saturday that no airline flights were seen crossing Venezuelan airspace after Maduro’s arrest. Hundreds of other commercial flights in the Eastern Caribbean region were canceled. (Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy has indicated that normal travel will resume in the region on Sunday, January 4.)
Meanwhile, the Palm Springs International Film Awards announced in November that DiCaprio would be a guest of honor and receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award One battle after another.
“In One battle after anotherLeonardo DiCaprio delivers a riveting and emotionally charged performance, embodying a man pushed to his breaking point in the face of unrelenting adversity,” festival president Nachhattar Singh Chandi said at the time. “Throughout his career, DiCaprio has continually redefined what is possible in screen acting, bringing emotional depth, artistic integrity and no compromise. It is our honor to present him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, in recognition of his enduring influence and exceptional body of work.”
While DiCaprio missed the gala, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Adam Sandler i Kate Hudson all were expected to attend Saturday’s ceremony.