The Academy Allegedly Lied About Asking Will Smith to Leave the Oscars Post-Slap
For those of you who felt that it was suspicious that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally revealed that they had asked Will Smith to leave the Oscars after his now-infamous slap a full three days after the event and subsequent Tweet about how the Oscars don't condone violence, today's the day you can feel vindicated. A source had leaked to TMZ that the Academy had actually lied about asking Smith to leave.
According to the anonymous source, who was described as someone present when Chris Rock was slapped by the Fresh Prince star, Oscar producer Will Packer allegedly walked up to Smith and said, "We do not want you to leave." The source clocks this interaction as happening around 8:00pm, 35 minutes after the slap had occurred.
Minutes later, Smith picked up his Best Actor Oscar for King Richard.
While we should take allegations made by anonymous sources with a grain of salt, this revelation is in line with the Academy's actions insofar. While at first, its reaction to the slap heard around the world was tepid, as outrage among the other Hollywood celebs and the public grew, the Academy's public condemnation of Smith also grew in severity. Now, there are reports that Smith is being threatened with a possible suspension or expulsion from the very Academy that now seems determined to throw the actor under the bus.
As "Slapgate" continues to devolve in the aftermath of the 2022 Oscars, and more Hollywood secrets are unearthed, we all should ask ourselves why this particular incident is striking such a moral chord, and how the incident will be handled for posterity.
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