Oscarsorganizers at one point considered havingWill Smithremoved from his seat during the 2022 ceremony after he walked onstage and struck presenterChris Rockover a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
An industry source tells PEOPLE, “Behind the scenes there were a lot of people, and different voices and bifurcated opinions, weighing in on what had just happened and what was the best and quickest course of action. People were also checking that Chris Rock was okay.”
“Basically there were just minutes to first figure out if it was a stunt and then try and get people on the same page — including the producers, ABC, the Academy, reps who were not all in the same place or all looking at their phones in real time, and even to see if Chris wanted to press charges,” the source explains.
For more on the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident at the Oscars, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
Rockdid not opt to file charges, the LAPD later said.
The source adds that “having Will removed was definitely discussed seriously.”
“You can’t plan for something like this and make a split-second decision that needs everyone’s buy-in, and in any iteration that would have consequences,” the insider says.
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Seconds later, Will, 53, walked onstage and approached Rock,smacking him in front of the audienceand millions watching the telecast at home. Back at his table, Will shouted to a stunned Rock: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—–g mouth.” Will remained seated with Jada at his table for the rest of the night.
When Will won Best Actor later in the ceremony, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nomineesbut did not mention Rock. In his tearful speech, he spoke about acting out of love and protection, saying, “Love makes you do crazy things.”
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S. / SplashNews.com
Will and hisfamily later celebrated his win, dancing together at after parties.
In astatementafter the show, the Academy said, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world,” it continued, shifting the focus to the newly mintedOscar winners.
Will Packer, who produced this year’s Oscars with the first-ever all-Black producing team for the awards show,tweetedafterward, “Welp…I said it wouldn’t be boring.”
source: people.com
