Conflicting reports emerge after Academy said it asked Will Smith to leave the Oscars

Conflicting reports have begun to circulate regarding the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s response to Will Smith striking Chris Rock at the Oscars.

The Academy on Wednesday announced it was beginning disciplinary proceedings into Smith’s slap heard around the world. Additionally, the group also revealed that it had asked Smith to leave the awards ceremony after the incident but said he had refused to do so.

One source familiar with the events that night told Deadline the Academy’s request for Smith to leave the ceremony was more of a suggestion than a demand, as the organization made it out to be.

The source told the outlet that Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson suggested to Smith’s rep that the actor leave after he took the stage and slapped Rock, but that Smith requested to stay.

“I want to make this right, I want to stay and apologize,” Smith reportedly said.

Another source told Deadline that the request for Smith’s exit was a “firm ask,” while a third told the outlet that Oscars producer Will Packer said the actor should stay at the ceremony.

The Academy did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment, but doubled down on its claim that it had asked Smith to leave in a statement to Deadline, saying it “remains accurate.”

The board will next meet on April 18. It will then determine what, if any, disciplinary action will be taken against Smith.