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Report: Oscars Lied And Just Made Up Cover Story About Asking Will Smith To Leave

Report: Oscars Lied And Just Made Up Cover Story About Asking Will Smith To Leave

Smith

Photo: Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The incident between Academy Awards host Chris Rock and Oscar winner Will Smith is getting even messier. By now, most know that during the March 27 Oscars broadcast, Smith slapped Rock on air after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, having a bald haircut. Now comes news that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which produces the Oscars, lied about its role in the incident, according to a new report.

Hours after the incident, the organization claimed that Smith refused to leave the event even after they requested his departure from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. This claim turns out to be untrue, TMZ reported.

Sources told TMZ that Academy officials never actually came to a consensus about how to handle the situation. They were split about what actions to take.

Three insiders who were reportedly at the ceremony and “witnessed various conversations” told TMZ that some wanted Smith, 53, to leave, but others did not.

The sources “with direct knowledge” who “were present” at the show also alleged that show producer Will Packer spoke with Smith and told him “he could stay.” Smith later that evening won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in the film “King Richard.”

Packer led the first Oscars all-Black production team.

“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently,” The Academy told the Associated Press.

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Smith later apologized officially via a social media statement but pointed out he was trying to defend his wife, who is suffering from alopecia, against being disrespected and ridiculed. Alopecia causes major hair loss.

“My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram. “Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about my Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally.”

The “Bad Boys” star added, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line, and I was wrong. I am embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

Rock has yet to talk about the incident, saying only that he is still “processing” what happened.

Photo: Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)