Inside this year’s obscenely expensive Oscars swag bags

A PRIVATE jet trip and ‘gluten-free chocolate vodka’ are among the lavish gifts stars will receive in their OTT Oscars gift bags come Monday.

WHILE the tone of the Oscars on Sunday is expected to be more serious in the #MeToo era, the stars will still be handed frivolous swag valued in the six figures.

Endless brands have lined up to lavish the VIPs with goodies this year, from extravagant free trips to Tanzania, Hawaii and Greece to more mundane Mexican sodas.

That being said, the staid academy shuns the freebies and even sued one swag-bag distributor for using “Oscar” in its giveaways.

With the suit resolved, LA-based Distinctive Assets (which also hands out gifts at the Grammys) is just calling the swag it gives to nominees the “Everyone Wins” bag.

This year, the bag is said to be worth up to $AU130,000 and includes those aforementioned luxe vacations along with a free “gum rejuvenation” dental procedure, sessions with a celebrity trainer, a “conflict-free” diamond necklace and other jewellery, a “24K gold facial,” locally grown oranges, Jarritos soda, and — naturally — an “18-minute phobia-relief session.”

If that’s not LA enough for you, the stars also get a $AU13,000 donation to the animal shelter of their choice, plus fancy pet food for their own pampered pooches.

And the bonanza doesn’t end there when you take into account the myriad gifting suites that compete to hand out even more freebies.

Last year’s host Jimmy Kimmel had doughnuts fall from the ceiling to appease hungry celebs. Picture: AP

GBK Productions is doling out an estimated $AU52,000 in swag that includes “gluten-free” chocolate vodka, vacations to Mexico and Granada, Spain, a private jet trip in California, and a catered, private Italian dinner for 16.

The Oscars has also slammed some swag bags for including “less-than-wholesome” products in the past such as sex toys, pot vaporisers and plastic surgery.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Inside this year’s obscenely expensive Oscars swag bags