Will Smith Was Not Formally Asked to Leave Oscars 2022 After Slap (Report)

There are now differing reports about what happened with Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences claimed that it asked him to leave the ceremony and he “refused,” a new report from Variety suggests that’s not the case.

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Sources close to the situation “are refuting that the actor was ever formally urged to leave the show,” and “in the chaos that surrounded the altercation, the Academy and the show’s producer sent mixed message about whether or not Smith should be expelled from the event.”

They go on to claim that some Academy members expressed that they wanted Will removed, but no formal or explicit ask was ever made. Another person familiar with the Academy said he “was asked to leave through an on-site representative.”

While the organization claimed he “refused” to leave, that description of events “doesn’t sit well” with the insiders, according to Variety.

According to sources, producer Will Packer “walked out into the orchestra and conferred with Smith, according to two witnesses,” and “officially” wanted him to stay for the remainder of the show, according to one of the witnesses.

Find out what happened immediately after the slap in the audience during the commercial break.