(CNN) — The Razzies apologized and removed child actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong from their annual list of nominees.
Armstrong was nominated this week for worst actress for her performance in “Firestarter” by The Golden Raspberry Awards (the formal name of the Razzies), a satire of Hollywood awards billed as a celebration of the best of the worst in cinema.
However, there was backlash to the announcement given that Armstrong is only 12 years old.
“Sometimes you do things without thinking, and then you get singled out for it. So you get it. That’s why the Razzies were created in the first place,” Razzies co-founder John B. Wilson said in a statement released Wednesday.
“The recent valid criticism of the choice of the 11-year-old (sic) Armstrong as a nominee for one of our awards has come to our attention as insensitive as we have been in this case,” the statement continued. “As a result, we are removing Armstrong’s name from the final ballot our members will cast next month. We also believe that Ms. Armstrong is owed a public apology, and we want to say that we are sorry for any harm she has experienced as a result of our decisions.”
The Razzies will only nominate those who are 18 years of age or older, according to the group.
“We have never intended to bury anyone’s career. That is why our Redeemer Award was created,” the statement said. “We all make mistakes, including us. Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad’, we realize we need to live up to it ourselves, too.”
CNN has reached out to representatives for Armstrong for comment.
