Oscars 2025: 80 % of nominated films contain tobacco and nicotine products

Of the ten nominations in the Best Picture category at the 2025 Oscars, eight films contain scenes or objects related to tobacco or nicotine, according to an analysis by the Truth Initiative.[1] (cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah and nicotine). Despite scientific research demonstrating their harmful effects on health, these continue to be shown as trendy and subversive products by the 7^e art, very influential on youth.

A positive vision of tobacco perpetuated by the silver screen

Cinema continues to be a sounding board for the tobacco and nicotine industry. At the 2025 Oscars, many films show young actors and actresses using tobacco and nicotine products or accessories, whether they are traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes or ashtrays. This is the case with Timothée Chalamet who smokes in the biopic "A Perfect Stranger" on the life of Bob Dylan, Mikey Madison who smokes in "Anora" or Selena Gomez, the most followed woman on Instagram with 421 million followers, who smokes and sleeps near an ashtray in "Emilia Pérez".

In these sequences, tobacco, accessories and other nicotine products are presented as products associated with a young and trendy lifestyle, adopted by celebrities popular with young people, while many scenes are shared on social networks, discussed and diverted massively. The Oscar nomination also contributes to extending the life of the film in theaters and in the media, increasing the exposure time to these scenes of smoking and nicotine consumption.

Hollywood imagery of tobacco and nicotine regaining popularity

Seeing tobacco or another nicotine product on screen can triple the risk that a young person will start using a vaping product. This is because vaping is a more popular and socially acceptable form of nicotine product among young people than a traditional cigarette. For the first time since 2002, the number of films containing tobacco and nicotine is increasing, despite public attempts to ban the viewing of these products in cinemas. For example, 41% of films released in 2023 feature tobacco and nicotine products, compared to 35% in 2022.

In addition to the notable presence of tobacco and nicotine products in movies, another Truth Initiative study highlights that smoking and nicotine use also remain prevalent in popular television series. According to the “While You Were Streaming” report published in 2024, the number of tobacco and nicotine product depictions in popular series among 15-24 year-olds more than doubled in 2022, exposing nearly 25 million adolescents and young adults to the use of these products.

This situation worries American health institutions in a context of marketing new products and pressure from manufacturers. The increase in behavioral placements also comes at a time when the control of tobacco and nicotine products in the United States by the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products is threatened by budget cuts from the Trump administration.[4].

©Generation Without Tobacco

AD

[1] 80% of this year's Oscar® Best Picture nominees include tobacco imagery, Truth Initiative, published February 28, 2025, accessed March 3, 2025

[2] Research finds tobacco imagery on TV and streaming shows drives youth vaping, Truth Initiative, published September 17, 2020, accessed March 3, 2025

[3] Tobacco-free generation, Tobacco remains very present in popular television series, published on March 10, 2024, accessed on March 3, 2024

[4] Chapman, Matthew, McLure, Jason, Pérez, María, Mass firings hit thousands US tobacco regulators overwhelmed with new products, The Examination, published February 28, 2025, accessed March 3, 2025

National Committee Against Smoking |