Oscars Producer Will Packer: ‘I’m Damn Proud of This Show,’ ‘We Succeeded’

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Al Seib; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Alana Mastrangelo

Oscars producer Will Packer proclaimed on Monday — after actor Will Smith marched onto the stage and attacked comedian Chris Rock over a joke about his wife — that he is “so damn proud of this show,” adding, “I think we succeeded.”

“‘I’m so damn proud of this show!!!” Packer wrote. “I’m grateful for all the appreciation, support and critiques. The LOVE has been overwhelming. It was a true honor and pleasure to take on this responsibility.”

“[Producer Shayla Cowan] and I wanted an OSCARS that looked and felt different than any before it…” he added.

“In front of and behind the camera. I think we succeeded. Thank you to every single one of you who watched!” Packer added in a follow-up tweet.

This year’s Academy Awards definitely looked different than the others, as it may have been the very first Oscars that featured an A-list actor physically attacking the event’s presenter on stage over a joke.

On Sunday, Will Smith shocked Oscars audience members and viewers when he marched onto the stage and attacked Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

“Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” Rock said while on stage — an apparent joe about Pinkett Smith’s short hairstyle, which she has due to alopecia. It remains unclear whether Rock even knew about her condition.

Nonetheless, in response to Rock’s joke, Smith walked onto the stage and struck the comedian in the face. Then, when he retook his seat, the actor twice shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth” — a cringeworthy moment for many in the audience.

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Later, Smith apologized for his actions, and also acknowledged that his behavior overshadowed the event.

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” the actor said, after initially omitting the comedian in his first apology at the Oscars, during his acceptance speech after winning Best Actor for his performance as Venus and Serena’s father in King Richard.

“I was out of line and I was wrong,” he continued. “I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,” Smith added. “I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.

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