Will Smith was almost removed from the Oscars following Chris Rock slap

gamesradar.com:

Oscars organizers almost removed Will Smith from the awards ceremony after he stepped on stage and slapped Chris Rock following a joke directed at Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

"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," a new report from People reads. "People were also checking that Chris Rock was okay."

The sources explained: "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 Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that Rock will not press charges against Smith. The insider added that "having Will removed was definitely discussed seriously." They continued: "You can't plan for something like this and make a split-second decision that needs everyone's buy-in, and in any iteration that would have consequences."

On the night, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith, comparing her hair to G.I. Jane, a fictional character with a shaved head. Jada had previously revealed she had been diagnosed with alopecia, which leads to hair loss. Will jumped on stage and hit Rock with an open hand. He then returned to his seat and shouted: "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth." It was initially unclear whether the moment was planned, with social media unsure whether something had actually gone wrong as the broadcast had been censored in real time. Soon enough, it was clear that Smith's actions were not pre-planned.

Following the incident,