Unexpected bump Will PackerThe producer of the 2022 Oscars has opened up about the behind-the scenes activities. Will SmithSlapped Chris Rock.
A clip from Packer’s Friday, April 1, Good Morning AmericaInterview aired in part of ABC World News TonightThursday, March 31, was when he claimed authorities were on the alert after Smith, 53 years old, ran onto the Dolby Theater stage.
“They were saying, ‘This is battery.’ That was the word they used in that moment,” Packer alleged. “They said, ‘We will go get him. We are ready. We will immediately go after him. You can file charges. We can arrest him.’”
Will Packer and Will Smith with Chris Rock. Shutterstock (3)
Packer said Rock, 57 had put an end to the chaos. “They were laying out the options, and as they were talking, Chris … was being very dismissive of those options,” the producer recalled. “He was like, ‘No, I’m fine.’ … Even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finish laying out what his options were. And they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said, ‘No.’”
Packer previously poked fun at the shocking moment, tweeting after the Sunday, March 27, awards show, “Welp… I said it wouldn’t be boring #Oscars.” He went on to describe the altercation as “a very painful moment” for him “on many levels.”
Smith stunned everyone at Sunday’s Academy Awards when he jumped out of his chair in response to a Rock joke Jada pinkett Smith‘s shaved head. (The Red Table TalkHost, 50 has alopecia.
“Keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth,” the I Am LegendThe actor shouted when Rock was slashed across his face.
Us WeeklyIt was previously confirmed that Rock did not file an official report with Los Angeles Police Department. Multiple sources later confirmed this. UseSmith has not yet privately reached out to the comedian about the incident.
The However, King Richard star — who won the Oscar for best actor on Sunday night — did take to social media to publicly apologize to Rock. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” he wrote via Instagram on Monday, March 28. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
Smith called himself a “work in progress,” going on to directly name Rock in his statement. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was not in line with the rules and I was wrong. I am embarrassed by my actions, which are not indicative the man I want. There is no place in a world that values love and kindness for violence. I would also like to apologize to The Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.”
The Everyone Hates ChrisThe Oscars drama was discussed by the alum during a comedy show at Boston’s Wilbur Theater. “I haven’t talked to anyone despite what you may have heard,” he reportedly told the audience on Wednesday, March 30, adding that he was “still processing what happened.”
Rock put on “a great show,” an eyewitness exclusively told Us. “[The audience] laughed a lot and it really cut the tension.”
