- Organizers considered removing Smith from the show after he slapped Rock, an insider told People.
- "Having Will removed was definitely discussed seriously," the person told People.
Oscars organizers considered removing
"Having Will removed was definitely discussed seriously," the source told 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
"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 person added.
Smith slapped Rock after Rock made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head. Pinkett Smith has been open about having alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.
After the joke, Smith walked onto the stage in the middle of Rock's set and slapped him, to which Rock was visibly surprised.
After returning to his seat, Smith then shouted: "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth."
Rock chose not to file charges against Smith, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Smith later apologized to the Academy for his behavior while accepting his award for best actor."Love makes you do crazy things," he said.
Representatives for Smith and the Academy Awards did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent out a tweet late Sunday night saying it "does not condone violence of any form."
Later in the evening, Smith was seen at an afterparty dancing to his hit 1997 song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," and Diddy told Page Six that both Smith and Rock made up following the incident.
"That's not a problem. That's over. I can confirm that," Diddy told the outlet at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty.