Liza Minnelli was ‘sabotaged’ with wheelchair at Oscars 2022 reveals friend Michael Feinstein
Singer Michael Feinstein, Liza Minnelli's longtime friend and colleague, has criticized the Academy, claiming that the actress was "sabotaged" during her appearance at the ceremony last month. Liza Minnelli may have earned a loud ovation at the 2022 Academy Awards, but she still deserved better treatment, Feinstein said. After the iconic ‘slap’ of Will Smith, the next thing that made news was when Lady Gaga and Minnelli came together to present the Best Picture award to 'CODA,' bringing the tumultuous 2022 Oscars to a close.
On Tuesday, April 19, Michael Feinstein said on SiriusXM’s 'The Jess Cagle Show' that Liza Minnelli was forced to appear in a wheelchair at the Oscars and that she was "very disappointed.” He stated that she was sabotaged, adding "that's a terrible word to use." He continued, "but she only agreed to appear on the Oscars if she would be in the director's chair because she's been having back trouble." He added that Minnelli said, "I don't want people to see me limping out there. You know, I want to look good... I don't want people to be concerned about my safety."
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Feinstein also claimed that the organizers made a last-minute change because of Will Smith's actions earlier that night. Just minutes before her scheduled appearance on stage, a stage manager apparently notified Minnelli that she would be seated in a wheelchair rather than a director's chair. Feinstein, who was with Liza at the event, recounted, "Liza pleaded. She said 'No, I will not be seen in a wheelchair in front of everybody. I will not do this. I refused to do this.' And they said, 'Well, it's either that or nothing.'"
Minnelli eventually accepted, but Feinstein said she was "discombobulated" because she was "so shaken." He went on to say, "She was nervous, and it made her look like she was out of it. Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don't want to be seen? That's what happened to her." The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not respond to Feinstein’s statements.
Who is Feinstein and how did the Oscar plan come up?
Feinstein, a five-time Grammy nominee, has collaborated with Minnelli on several occasions. The duo recorded the jazz standard 'Embraceable You' as a duet for Feinstein's latest album 'Gershwin Country' earlier this year. Scott Gorenstein, Minnelli's former publicist, told People last month that Lady Gaga had wanted Minnelli to be her Oscars night co-presenter. For almost a decade, the two celebrities have had a cordial relationship. Gaga welcomed Minnelli to one of her Madison Square Garden shows in 2011, subsequently acknowledging her as a personal inspiration throughout the performance.