Several reports surfaced Thursday claiming the Academy did not ask Will Smith to leave after he slapped Chris Rock at Sunday night’s Oscars, sources shared, despite an earlier statement from the Academy that suggested otherwise.
Sources with knowledge of the event claim the 53-year-old actor was never formally urged by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to leave the 94th Academy Awards show Sunday after he walked on stage and struck Rock in the face. Smith’s reaction followed a joke from Rock about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head amid her hair loss battle, reported Variety in a piece published Thursday.
Sources said there was some chaos after it happened and there were reportedly mixed messages about whether the “King Richard” star was going to be asked to leave, between the Academy and the show’s producer Will Packer, the outlet noted.
The Academy’s statement said that Smith was “asked to leave the ceremony and refused,” reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources say Will Smith was not formally asked to leave the #Oscars after slapping Chris Rock, despite what the Academy claims. https://t.co/HiGFH8LpT4 pic.twitter.com/kAWHJlfirj
— Variety (@Variety) March 31, 2022
Variety reported that the announcement from the Academy did not line up with what some sources with knowledge of the events say actually occurred.
They claim that some Academy members expressed that they wanted Smith removed, but they also say that no formal or explicit ask was ever made. Another person familiar with the Academy said that Smith was asked to leave through an on-site representative. That call was made by Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson, who, a source says, asked for Smith to leave the show instead of remaining in the auditorium for the rest of the telecast.
Show producer Will Packer, sources inside the Dolby said, was the key to Smith remaining in his seat. In the roughly 30 minutes following Smith’s attack on Rock, before the award for best actor was presented, Packer walked out into the orchestra and conferred with Smith, according to two witnesses. Packer said that he and the production “officially” wanted Smith to stay for the remainder of the show, according to one of the witnesses. Another source close to Packer denied that the producer urged Smith to remain.
As previously reported by the Daily Wire, the Academy’s lengthy statement called Smith’s actions “traumatic,” and admitted, despite asking him to leave, it could’ve “handled the situation differently.”
Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment,” the statement continued. “We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.
The academy closed out its statement by clarifying that the “King Richard” star “was asked to leave the ceremony and refused,” but added that it recognized they “could have handled the situation differently.”
As the Daily Wire reported:
During a segment at the Oscars, the 57-year-old comedian remarked about how no one was wearing a mask in the theater before he turned his attention to Denzel Washington and praised him for his part in the movie “The Tragedy of MacBeth.” The superstar comedian then spotted Will Smith’s wife in the audience and cracked a joke about how Jada was going to be in the next “G.I. Jane” movie.
“Jada, I love ya,” Rock said. “G.I. Jane 2 movie, can’t wait to see it.”
Smith then got up from his seat and struck Rock in the face.
“Oh wow, wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** outta me,” Rock said.
Smith then repeatedly shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”
“Wow, dude,” Rock replied. “It was a G.I. Jane joke.”
Later in the show, the “Men In Black” star took the stage to accept his first Oscar ever for Best Actor for his role in the film “King Richard.” During his acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy and to the other nominees but didn’t appear to apologize to Rock. Late Monday, the superstar issued an apology to the comedian in a lengthy post on Instagram where he admitted that his actions were both “out of line” and “wrong.”
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