The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is being accused of misleading the public after releasing a statement saying Will Smith was asked to leave the ceremony after slapping Chris Rock on live TV.

Both Variety and TMZ are reporting that sources close to Smith say the statement claiming he was asked to leave is not only false but that he was eventually asked to remain in the theater.

“Sources close to the situation are refuting that the actor was ever formally urged to leave the show. It appears that in the chaos that surrounded the altercation, the Academy and the show’s producer sent mixed message about whether Smith should be expelled from the event,” reported Variety on Thursday.

The reporting appears to contradict the Academy’s statement on Wednesday, which said: “Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”

There is some grey area in the reporting, however. “Another person familiar with the Academy said that Smith was asked to leave through an on-site representative,” added Variety, noting, “That call was made by Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson, who, a source says, asked for Smith to leave the show instead of remaining in the auditorium for the rest of the telecast.”

In the end, though, Variety adds that show producer Will Packer “walked out into the orchestra and conferred with Smith, according to two witnesses.”

“Packer said that he and the production ‘officially’ wanted Smith to stay for the remainder of the show, according to one of the witnesses. Another source close to Packer denied that the producer urged Smith to remain,” the report added.

On the balance, however, Variety’s reporting is framed around debunking the Academy’s statement as the story ran with the headline: “Will Smith Was Not Formally Asked to Leave Oscars Following Chris Rock Slap, Sources Claim.”

Sources relayed to TMZ a similar version of events:

We’re told Will was aware there was talk about asking him to leave the theater. During one of the commercial breaks, we’re told Oscars producer Will Packer walked up to Will and said, ‘We do not want you to leave’ … this according to our sources.

How exactly the decision for Smith to remain in the theater and accept his Oscar for Best Actor remains somewhat unclear, but the notion that Smith was directly asked to leave and “refused” to do so appears in doubt.

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