Lin-Manuel Miranda to Skip Oscars as Wife Tests Positive for COVID

Lin-Manuel Miranda will be skipping this year’s Oscars ceremony as his wife has tested positive for COVID-19.

With Tick, Tick… BOOM! and Encanto, Miranda has two horses in the race this year. However, he took to Twitter to announce that he’ll be absent from physically appearing for the ceremony.

Miranda mentioned that he and his kids had tested negative, but he decided not to attend out of caution. The actor/songwriter/director added that he’ll be cheering from home with his family, “alongside all of you, ALL of you.”

Tick, Tick… BOOM! marks Miranda’s directorial debut and is nominated for two Oscars—best actor for Andrew Garfield and best editing.

Whereas Disney’s animated film Encanto is nominated for three, with Miranda’s Dos Oruguitas up for best original song.

If the songwriter wins for the latter, he would become the third-youngest EGOT winner in history (referring to winning all four major American awards—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).

Miranda’s decision aligns with the Academy’s updated COVID-19 protocols and guidelines that state that those who “have 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.”

It is unclear whether the nominees who won’t be able to attend the ceremony will instead make an appearance virtually.

The 94^th Annual Oscars will be held at the Los Angeles Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night and are set to air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.