After Christmas, Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti traveled down to St. Barts. There are (mega-exclusive) photos of them hanging out on Jeff Bezos’ yacht, and I would assume that Leo and Vittoria were staying on the yacht, or perhaps yacht-hopping as many celebrities do. Still, Leo planned for only a brief vacation in St. Barts, and he was due back in California on Saturday for the opening night of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which pretty much marks the official start of the awards season. Well, bad news? Leo couldn’t fly to California. Because America invaded Venezuela.
Leonardo DiCaprio will miss the Palm Springs International Film Awards amid the Trump administration’s military action in Venezuela. On Saturday, Jan. 3, DiCaprio, 51, was unable to 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.
Variety reported that the Oscar winner was not able to leave St. Barths — where he was photographed on vacation with celebrity friends, 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 PEOPLE.
“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.”
Palm Springs International Airport released a statement on X earlier on Jan. 3, 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 concept of an awards season being interrupted by America’s coup d’état in Venezuela. What a year, huh? And it’s an interesting glimpse of how Leo moves around – lounging on a yacht in St. Barts for a week, then he intended to fly into Palm Springs at the very last minute on Saturday. So many celebrities and billionaires were in St. Barts for New Year’s too. I wonder how many of them were affected, or whether most of them just continued to hang out on their yachts.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Actor Leonardo DiCaprio attends the red carpet for ‘One Battle After Another’ fan event at Toreo Parque Central. on September 18, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico.,Image: 1038564954, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Carlos Tischler/Avalon
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- Leonardo DiCaprio at the 16th Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, November 16, 2025.,Image: 1053003659, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ©A.M.P.A.S. All rights reserved., Model Release: no, Credit line: /AMPAS/Avalon
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- Leonardo DiCaprio at the 16th Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, November 16, 2025.,Image: 1053003673, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ©A.M.P.A.S. All rights reserved., Model Release: no, Credit line: /AMPAS/Avalon
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- Celebrities arrive at the ‘One Battle After Another’ premiere at Odeon Leicester Square, London Featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 Sep 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Celebrities arrive at the ‘One Battle After Another’ premiere at Odeon Leicester Square, London Featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 Sep 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Celebrities arrive at the ‘One Battle After Another’ premiere at Odeon Leicester Square, London Featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio Where: London, London, United Kingdom When: 16 Sep 2025 Credit: Julie Edwards/Future Image/Cover Images **NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN GERMANY**
SUCH an environmental warrior! All the times on mega-yachts, continually private jetting here and there…my God, what is HIS carbon footprint??
Don’t you know he has a Prius!!??
“I’d be just like Leo in San Tropez!” I don’t quite understand Leo. He does very political films and then hangs out with Bezos? I mean, there’s attending events where Bezos is also present and there’s chilling on his yacht. Does one not see the direct connection between Bezos and the illegal US action in Venezuela?
It wasn’t a coup. The US illegally invaded a sovereign nation and kidnapped and forcibly deported its head of state. Maduro needs to be held accountable for human rights violations, but not like this.
This. A coup would mean actual Venezuelans had a say in the matter.
Rich people’s problems.