(I know the photo isn’t of Kidman reacting to the slap is actually from before the ceremony, it’s just a great illustration of how everyone reacted to it)
Now being reported that Will Smith was not asked to leave the ceremony. He should have been asked to leave, and he might have declined if so. HOWEVER, it’s now being reported that the show’s producer TOLD HIM HE COULD STAY.
"We're told Will was aware there was talk about asking him to leave the theater. During one of the commercial breaks, we're told Oscars producer Will Packer walked up to Will and said, 'We do not want you to leave' ... this according to our sources," TMZ reports. "Will Packer walked up to Will Smith just after 8 PM, around 35 minutes after the slap. That's when he told Will he could stay, according to our sources. Will won the Best Actor Award around 5 minutes later."
If this turns out to be true, Packer’s decision might have something to do with Chris Rock immediately declining to press charges. If it’s true, it’s surprising Will Smith hasn’t said anything about it yet. Obviously Will Packer will now be pressed to say whether the story is true or not.
The sources say Academy officials were split on the idea of booting Smith and discussed it during a commercial break, but never reached a decision.
On the possibility of Smith being tossed out of the academy, a pundit pointed out that would be an interesting decision based on the people who are still in (Mel Gibson, for just one instance) . . . and what about Chris Rock?
It’s apparent that everyone in the room knew what Smith was upset about, so it seems highly likely that Rock knew about her health issues. There are prior date photos of Rock and her sitting together for an interview, and she appears just as shaved bald and is wearing a turban. Perhaps tellingly, Rock has yet to say whether or not he knew about her condition, and has yet to apologize for the “joke.” If he did know, that makes his “joke” among the lowest of the low.
In the past few days Howard Stern has compared Will Smith to Trump but I think he has it backwards. If he knew about her condition, how is Chris Rock mocking her any different from Trump mocking the disabled reporter?
In a statement released after the incident, the academy said: "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."
"Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television,” the academy added. "Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."
But according to sources who spoke to TMZ, "Will Smith was NEVER asked to leave the Oscars after he slapped Chris Rock," the publication reported.
www.rawstory.com/...