According to sources from TMZ, the Academy’s claims that they asked Will Smith to leave the Oscars ceremony are false.
Recent reports suggested that Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars after he slapped Chris Rock over a joke the comedian made at the expense of his wife, Jada.
In the aftermath of the ceremony, the Academy said that it had “initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct,” including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy.
The body also stated, “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.”
But overnight, multiple sources told TMZ that those claims were completely false. “No one ever asked Chris if Will should leave. They never consulted him. It was the Oscars producer Will Packer who made the final decision to let Will stay,” one source revealed.
Variety has also received similar information, suggesting that Will Packer allowed Smith to stay at the event.
We don’t have confirmation as to whether either claim is true, but all sources seem to have similar accounts.
While Will Smith may have compromised the integrity of the Oscars, at least they’re relevant again. Surely that has to count for something.
