MANILA, Philippines — Chris Rock getting slapped by Will Smith was undoubtedly the most memorable moment from the 94th Academy Awards, but many will agree among the most heartwarming was Lady Gaga presenting Best Picture with the legendary Liza Minnelli.
Gaga took a moment to introduce Minnelli to the crowd, who was seated in a wheelchair. The "Cabaret" actress appeared to fumble some of her words, but Gaga was heard assuring her "I got you" to which Minnelli responded "I know."
Related: Lady Gaga, Liza Minnelli's Oscars 2022 moment wins netizens' hearts
But it seems even that adorable moment may have issues of its own as Minnelli's longtime friend and collaborator Michael Feinstein claimed on the radio program "The Jess Cagle Show" that the 76-year-old Oscar winner's appearance was "sabotaged."
Minnelli's presence at the 2022 Oscars was requested by Gaga herself, but Feinstein said she agreed to do so if she was in a director's chair because of back trouble. He added that Minelli said she wanted to look good and "not want people to see [her] limping out there... to worry about [her]."
A few minutes before she was set to go onstage, Feinstein said a stage manager told Minnelli she had to use a wheelchair, not the director's chair she was already seated on.
“She was nervous and it made her look like she was out of it," said Feinstein. "Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don’t want to be seen?"
Feinstein claims that Minnelli initially refused to use a wheelchair, and by the time she agreed she was “so shaken that she was discombobulated.”
The singer and pianist assumed the decision was because of the now-infamous slap that happened earlier in the ceremony which had the organizers and production team "shaken up." Feinstein ended by saying that Minelli was disappointed in her Oscars appearance.
Minnelli and Gaga handed the Best Picture award to "CODA," AppleTV+'s movie about a young teenage girl with a deaf family.
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