Oscars Producer Will Packer Says Chris Rock Didn’t Want Will Smith Removed From Ceremony Following Slap

etcanada.com:

The producer of this year’s Oscars was as shocked as everyone else. On Thursday, producer Will Packer sat down with “Good Morning America” to talk about the moment during Sunday night’s ceremony when Will Smith smacked Chris Rock. READ MORE: Chris Rock Addresses Will Smith Oscars Controversy For First Time At Comedy Show: ‘I Am Still Processing’ “I thought it was a bit, like everybody else,” he revealed. “Once I saw Will yelling at the stage, [it] was such vitriol,” Packer said. “I remember thinking: ‘Oh no, no no, not like this.

Not like this.’ But I’ve got people, everybody’s still in my ear, you know, saying: ‘OK, what are we doing on camera two? Is he still up there?

Are we doing the best documentary category?’ And Chris was keeping his head when everybody was losing theirs.” He added, “But my heart at that point was just in my stomach, because of everything about it and what it represented and what it looked like and who was involved.

All of that was just – I never felt so immediately devastated like I did in that moment.” READ MORE: Oscars Producer Will Packer Details How LAPD Were Ready To Arrest Will Smith After Slapping Chris Rock Talking about the goings on behind-the-scenes, Packer revealed that LAPD officers were ready to arrest Smith. “That is an absolute fact,” he said. “The LAPD made it clear: ‘We will do whatever you want us to do, and one of the options is that we will go and arrest him right now.'” Backstage, Packer was there to meet Rock as he walked off after presenting the award for Best Documentary. “I said: ‘Did he really hit you?’” he recalled, asking Rock. “And he looked at me and he goes: ‘I just took a punch from Muhammad Ali.’ It’s exactly what he said, as only Chris can, you know.