Lin-Manuel Miranda to skip Oscars after wife tests positive for COVID-19

LOS ANGELES — Director, composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda will no longer attend the 94th Academy Awards in person on Sunday night at the Los Angeles Dolby Theatre after his wife tested positive for COVID-19.

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Vanessa Nadal, Miranda’s wife, is “doing fine” since testing positive, the Oscar nominee told fans via Twitter on Saturday afternoon, CNN reported.

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

Miranda is Oscar-nominated for best original song for his work on the Disney film “Encanto,” which also received nods for best animated feature and best original score. Meanwhile, Miranda’s directorial debut, “Tick Tick … Boom” garnered two nods, including best film editing and a best actor nomination for Andrew Garfield, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Following a spike in positive cases among attendees at this year’s BAFTAs, the academy released updated COVID-19 protocols on Friday. The guidance reads, in part, “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,” THR reported.

In addition to the record-smashing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which will be performed during Sunday’s ceremony, Mirando also lent his musical talents to “Dos Oruguitas,” which scored the best original song nomination. Should he earn hardware during Sunday’s show, he will become only the 17th artist to become an EGOT winner, the achievement of having won all four of the major American entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony, CNN reported.

Masks are still not required for attendees inside the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, but the academy’s updated rules, which include social distancing, are strongly recommended, THR reported.

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