Leonardo DiCaprio Is Missing Palm Springs International Film Awards Due to Trump's Raid of Venezuela
- - Leonardo DiCaprio Is Missing Palm Springs International Film Awards Due to Trump's Raid of Venezuela
Tommy McArdle, Charlotte PhillippJanuary 4, 2026 at 4:24 AM
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Leonardo DiCaprio on Nov. 19, 2025 -
Leonardo DiCaprio will miss the Palm Springs International Film Awards amid the Trump administration's military action in Venezuela
DiCaprio was set to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his performance in One Battle After Another at the event in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 3
President Donald Trump launched military strikes in Venezuela in an effort to dismantle the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
Leonardo DiCaprio will miss the Palm Springs International Film Awards amid the Trump administration's military action in Venezuela.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, Variety reported that DiCaprio, 51, would not attend the awards ceremony in Palm Springs, Calif., where he was set to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his performance in his most recent movie, One Battle After Another.
The outlet reported that the Oscar winner was not able to leave St. Barths — where he was photographed on vacation with celebs, including girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, Tom Brady and more — due to air restrictions in the Caribbean following the U.S.-Venezuela conflict.
“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 told Variety.
“While we will miss celebrating with him in person, we are honored to recognize his exceptional work and lasting contributions to cinema,“ the statement continued. “His talent and dedication to the craft continue to inspire, and we are delighted to celebrate him with the Desert Palm Achievement Award this evening.”
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson in 'One Battle After Another'
Palm Springs International Airport released a statement on X earlier on Saturday, announcing that departing flights were under a ground stop.
"An FAA air traffic control issue is impacting Southern California airspace today," the statement read. "Aircraft have been able to arrive, though some inbound flights have diverted, and delays are expected. This is not specific to PSP and is affecting multiple SoCal airports."
The ground stop was lifted by 4:20 p.m. local time.
The film festival announced that DiCaprio would receive the award on Nov. 18. “In One Battle After Another, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a riveting and emotionally charged performance, embodying a man pushed to his breaking point in the face of relentless adversity,” the festival's chairman, Nachhattar Singh Chandi, said in a statement at the time.
“Across his career, DiCaprio has continually redefined what is possible in screen acting — bringing emotional depth, artistic integrity and fearless commitment to every role," Chandi added. "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.”
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DiCaprio costarred with Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall and more in One Battle After Another, a black comedy-thriller from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson.
After the awards ceremony in Palm Springs, DiCaprio is nominated for Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4, and for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11.
President Donald Trump launched military strikes in Venezuela in an effort to dismantle the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Having accused the Venezuelan president of drug-related crimes, Trump, 79, confirmed the order of “large-scale strikes” in the region and the capture of Maduro, 63, in a statement on Truth Social on Saturday.
Yadira Hernandez-Pico/Bloomberg via Gett
Closed signs on United Airlines self-service kiosks at Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 3, 2026.
Trump ordered airstrikes on various sites in Venezuela early morning on Saturday, including the capital, Caracas, and on military bases, officials told CBS News and the BBC. This comes as the U.S. military presence has recently increased in the region, with several warships positioned in the Caribbean.
Maduro, 63, is accused by Trump of drug trafficking and "forcing" migration to the U.S. The Venezuelan president is also accused of using oil money to fund his alleged drug-related crimes, all of which he has denied, per CBS News.
According to the , no airline flights were crossing over Venezuela on Saturday, and major airlines canceled hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean region.
Flights were canceled to and from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Aruba and more than a dozen other destinations in the Lesser Antilles island group that lies north of Venezuela. Several airlines have said they will waive change fees for passengers who have to reschedule their flights this weekend.
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