‘She was sabotaged’: Liza Minnelli was forced to appear in wheelchair against her will at Oscars, friend claims
Liza Minnelli was “sabotaged” at the Oscars after being brought on stage in a wheelchair against her wishes, her long-time collaborator has claimed.
The Cabaret star appeared on stage in a wheelchair during the March awards show to present the prize for Best Picture, alongside Lady Gaga.
While viewers were touched by the interactions between the two, Minnelli’s friend, singer Michael Feinstein, has now claimed that the 76-year-old was left “very disappointed” by the experience, which he claims was negatively impacted after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.
“She was sabotaged,” Feinstein told The Jess Cagle Show on Tuesday (19 April). “That’s a terrible word to use, but she only agreed to appear on the Oscars if she would be in a director’s chair, because she’s been having back trouble.
“She said, ‘I don’t want people to see me limping out there.’ She said, ‘You know, I wanna look good. I don’t want people to worry about me.’”
Feinstein claimed that plans had been changed “literally five minutes before she went on”, however, after “everything that had happened earlier” when Smith jumped onto the stage and struck Rock.
“The stage manager said, ‘Well, she has to be in a wheelchair’ and Liza pleaded. She said, ‘No, I will not be seen in a wheelchair in front of everybody. I will not do this. I refused to do this,’” Feinstein claimed. “And they said, ‘Well, it’s either that or nothing.’”
Feinstein, who was with the legendary actor at the time, said: “She was so shaken that she was discombobulated. She was nervous and it made her look like she was out of it. And she was just so shaken up… Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don’t wanna be seen? That’s what happened to her.
“She was very disappointed at that, that that happened and it was not what was agreed to. So she’s, she is really doing well and it’s a shame that it turned out that way. She was very disappointed.”
The Independent has contacted the Academy and Minnelli’s representative for comment.
Smith resigned from the Academy after the altercation with Rock, saying: “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”
