Academy Lied About Asking Will Smith to Leave Oscars, Sources

Will Smith was not asked to leave the Oscars after he hit Chris Rock. He was told by the producer of the show that he could stay.

The Academy asked Will to leave the theater after the slap, but he refused. Three sources who were at the ceremony and witnessed various conversations say that after the slap Academy officials were backstage with Will's reps and there were heated conversations about what had gone down.

Some officials wanted him to be kicked out, but others did not. They never reached a consensus during the discussions.

Will was aware that there was talk about asking him to leave the theater. According to our sources, Will Packer walked up to Will and said "We do not want you to leave" during one of the commercial breaks.

35 minutes after the slap, Will Packer walked up to Will Smith. According to our sources, he told Will he could stay. Will won the Best actor award around 5 minutes later.

The Academy never mentioned Will Smith in their first statement. The Academy became more aggressive and went after Smith, saying he took an aggressive stance and refused to leave.