Academy Accused of Lying About Asking Will Smith to Leave Oscars

The Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars Slapgate took an interesting turn Thursday as a new video surfaced of Jada Pinkett Smith’s initial reaction and the Academy was accused of lying about asking Smith to leave the ceremony. On Wednesday, Academy representatives said Smith refused to leave the Dolby Theater after he was told to do so. But sources close to the matter told TMZ that Academy producers never reached a consensus and that Smith was eventually deliberately told to stay. That tracks with a report from CNN, which said Academy officials were seated around the theater on Sunday night and “couldn’t mobilize to make a decision” before Smith won Best Actor. Meanwhile, a new video released Wednesday showed Jada Pinkett Smith visibly laughing as her husband returned to his seat—just as Chris Rock said, “Will Smith just slapped the shit out of me.”