Liza Minnelli Alleges Oscars Team Forced Wheelchair Appearance, Details Gaga Interaction

Liza Minnelli alleges she was pressured by the Academy to use a wheelchair during her appearance at the 2022 Oscars, a claim detailed in her upcoming memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, set for release on March 10.

Minnelli, the celebrated star of stage and screen, anticipated presenting the award for best picture alongside Lady Gaga while seated in a director’s chair. However, she writes that she was “inexplicably ordered — not even asked — to sit in a wheelchair or not appear at all.” The reasoning provided, according to Minnelli, was concern for her safety and a fear she might slip from the director’s chair, a justification she dismisses as “bullshit.”

“I will not be treated this way,” Minnelli writes in the memoir, as excerpted by People magazine. “I was heartbroken. I was much lower down than I would have been in the director’s chair. Now I couldn’t easily read the teleprompter above me.”

The situation, Minnelli recounts, left her feeling vulnerable and contributed to her stumbling over her lines during the presentation. She questions how anyone would feel being “wheeled out, against your will, to perform in front of a live audience, and unable to see clearly?”

Lady Gaga, who presented alongside Minnelli, reacted in the moment by leaning down and offering support, telling her, “I got you.” Minnelli notes that Gaga later visited her dressing room to check on her well-being. “I looked at her and said simply, ‘I’m a big fan,’” Minnelli writes, adding that she adopted a gracious demeanor, a lesson learned from her parents, Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, during times of stress.

Minnelli’s account echoes claims made by her longtime friend, Michael Feinstein, shortly after the 2022 Oscars ceremony. Feinstein alleged that Minnelli was “sabotaged” into appearing in the wheelchair, stating she had specifically requested the director’s chair due to ongoing back trouble. He recounted Minnelli expressing her desire to avoid appearing to struggle or worry the audience.

A source close to the 2022 Oscars, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, offered a different perspective. The source stated that the request for Minnelli to use a wheelchair stemmed from a genuine concern for her safety and a desire to protect the iconic actress. The decision was reportedly made when it became clear a wheelchair would be necessary.

The incident occurred during a particularly chaotic Oscars night, overshadowed by the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock. Feinstein suggested the disruption contributed to the last-minute change in arrangements for Minnelli.

Minnelli’s memoir promises a candid look into her life and career, offering a firsthand account of this controversial moment at one of Hollywood’s biggest events. The release of Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! is expected to further fuel discussion surrounding the circumstances of her 2022 Oscars appearance.