There have been conflicting reports on whether Oscar bosses asked Will Smith to leave the prestigious ceremony on Sunday March 27 after he shockingly slapped Chris Rock.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Hollywood actor Will Smith left Oscars officials "furious" when he refused to leave when asked to do so by the Academy president David Rubin and the company's CEO Dawn Hudson.
However, Academy Governor Whoopi Goldberg has claimed that bosses were too scared to physically show Will the door over fears he was "manic" and would cause a scene.
Speaking on Thursday's edition of The View, Whoopi said she knew no attempts were made to forcibly remove Will following the attack on comedian Chris.
Whoopi said: "I think that he was asked to leave."
Addressing why he wasn't forced to do so, she went on: "Picture… they come back from back from break, now if [Smith] is in some sort of state and he's struggling, and you're trying to get him out the door, and it's still on camera."
She further added that Oscar producers also considered the possibility that Will was having "a manic moment, because that's not what he's known for, smacking people and stuff".
Whoopi added that she was not present at the Oscars and wasn't officially speaking on behalf of the Academy's board of directors.
She added: "I can't imagine what was going on back there, but I do know that the only person anybody should be focusing on is Will Smith."
Whoopi's comments come after TMZ reported that academy president David Rubin and the company's CEO Dawn Hudson asked Will to leave the ceremony.
The publication also claimed that several sources at the event observed the bosses as being "furious" and "apoplectic" behind the scenes.
What's more, the duo were said to be engaged in "heated" conversations with Will's PR team backstage.
Will shocked the world when he reacted to 57 year old Chris' joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's new shaved head by storming up on stage and slapping him across the face.
Chris had joked he was looking forward to seeing Jada, 50, in G.I. Jane 2, which prompted an eye roll from the Matrix Resurrections actress, who has been open about her experience with hair loss due to alopecia.
After hitting Chris, Will, 53, returned to his seat and furiously repeated: "Keep my wife's name out of your f*****g mouth."
Will went on to win the award for Best Actor for his rousing and poignant role in King Richard.
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