From left: Will Smith, Will Packer and Chris Rock.Photo: David Livingston/Getty; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Al Seib/A.M.P.A.S./Getty
The producer of the 2022Academy Awardsclaims he told officials thatChris Rockdid not wantWill Smithremoved from Sunday’s ceremony, afterWill smacked Rock in the faceonstage.
In an interview withGood Morning Americathat aired Friday,Will Packeralleged that he “immediately went to the Academy leadership that was on site and I said, ‘Chris Rock doesn’t want that,’ " referencing Will’s potential removal from the event.
“I said, ‘Rock has made it clear that he does not want to make a bad situation worse,’ " the producer added.
Packer says that conversation came after Rock, 57, told the Los Angeles Police Department he didn’t want to press charges. (Meanwhile, sources toldDeadlinethat Rock was never asked if he felt Will, 53, should be removed.)
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences previously said in a Wednesday statement to PEOPLE that Will “was asked to leave the ceremony and refused,” and added that they “also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”
While Rock has so fardeclined to press chargesagainst Will, Packer said onGMAof wanting to respect the comedian’s wishes following the incident, “I made that clear, like, ‘Rock, you tell me, whatever you want to do, brother.’ "
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“The LAPD came and needed to talk to Chris. And so they came into my office and they were laying out very clearly what Chris' rights were. They were saying: ‘This is battery. We will go get him. We will go get him right now, you can press charges, we can arrest him,’ " the producer further alleged.
The controversy unraveled after Rock made light of Will’s wifeJada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, which she’s recently opened up about as a result ofher years-long struggle with alopecia. “Jada, I love ya.G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” he joked.
Will thenwalked onto stage and smacked Rock in the face, leaving the audience and live viewers around the world stunned. “Oh wow,” said a seemingly taken-aback Rock as Will made his way back to his seat. “Will Smithjust smacked the s— out of me.”
“Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” Will yelled up to the stage at Rock after taking his seat again.
After aninitial statement, the Academyannounced that they “condemn” Will’s actionsand have “officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
In its statement Wednesday, the Academy offered insight into the course of action taken against theKing Richardactor, whotook home the Oscar for Best Actorafter the incident with Rock occurred.
“The Board of Governors today 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 statement read.
Will hassince apologized to Rock, writing in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday, “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,” he added.
source: people.com
