EXCLUSIVE: Leo V The Don! Why DiCaprio was Left 'Raging' Over Trump's Venezuela 'War for Oil'
Leonardo DiCaprio has been left 'furious' after Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela caused him to miss a major event.
Jan. 6 2026, Published 3:55 p.m. ET
Leonardo DiCaprio has been left "furious" after Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela caused the closure of Caribbean airspace, forcing the actor to miss a major awards ceremony and bringing global politics crashing into his personal life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 51-year-old Oscar winner had been due to appear on Saturday night at the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, California, to accept the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his performance in One Battle After Another.
Caribbean Chaos Grounds Hollywood Star
Leonardo DiCaprio missed a major awards ceremony after flight disruptions.
Instead, DiCaprio was celebrating the New Year on the Caribbean island of St. Barts when U.S. special forces abducted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, 63, triggering widespread airspace closures across the region and grounding commercial flights – and which critics say was executed simply so Trump could seize control of his country's oil.
Major airlines canceled hundreds of routes as the Federal Aviation Administration halted American commercial air activity until Sunday afternoon, citing security concerns.
The shutdown left DiCaprio unable to travel west, forcing him to miss the ceremony.
Departures were also briefly halted at Palm Springs International Airport, with diversions rippling across the Southwest.
Awards Night Without Its Biggest Star
He sent a recorded acceptance speech instead of appearing in person.
As a result, DiCaprio sent a recorded acceptance speech that was played to the audience while his co-stars Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti paid tribute on stage.
In the video message, DiCaprio said: "I'm stuck on the East Coast. I wish I was there to celebrate with all of you. I'm truly grateful to be a part of it, even from the distance."
A festival spokesperson confirmed the disruption, saying the A-lister's absence was unavoidable.
They added: "While we will miss celebrating with (DiCaprio) in person, we are honored to recognize his exceptional work and lasting contributions to cinema. 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."
Stars who did make it included Miley Cyrus, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan and Kate Hudson.
But the sudden geopolitical crisis meant the night unfolded without one of its most anticipated appearances.
Fury Fueled by Politics and Power
DiCaprio blamed fossil fuel politics for worsening global instability.
Sources close to the actor say the disruption carried emotional weight far beyond a missed trophy pick-up moment.
One insider told us DiCaprio understood that an awards ceremony was "insignificant compared with global events" but added the crisis made "the real-world consequences of Trump's actions impossible for him to ignore and left him furious."
Another said the incident left him "angry and deeply frustrated," noting environmentalist DiCaprio "has long hated Trump's approach to the world."
Why Trump’s Oil Agenda Hit a Nerve
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The crisis intensified his anger toward Donald Trump.
The anger is mainly rooted in DiCaprio's environmental activism, which has defined much of his public life.
He hates Trump, 79, for prioritizing fossil fuel expansion and embracing the "drill baby drill" mantra.
A separate source said the disruption around the film festival sharpened DiCaprio's opposition to Trump's energy agenda.
They added DiCaprio believed the president's fossil fuel-first worldview ignored climate science, destabilized regions, and left ordinary people paying the price for decisions driven by profit rather than responsibility and short-term political gain.
DiCaprio has spent decades pairing his film career with high-profile environmental activism. He established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 to fund conservation, climate research, and Indigenous land protection.
The star has also produced and narrated several documentaries, including Before the Flood and Ice on Fire, warning about rising temperatures and fossil fuel dependence.
DiCaprio has addressed the United Nations, met world leaders, and used awards speeches to push climate action.
