Will Packer, a producer for the 2022 Oscars, is speaking out after Will Smith and Chris Rock's heated onstage altercation.
During the March 27 ceremony, Smith stunned audiences when he got up from his seat and slapped Rock in the face after the comedian, who was presenting an award for Best Documentary, made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which is a result of the actress' battle with alopecia. After Smith, 53, returned to his seat, he yelled to Rock twice, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth!"
Shortly after the shocking confrontation, Packer took to social media to share his thoughts, tweeting, "Welp…I said it wouldn't be boring #Oscars."
However, when a Twitter user called him out for "making jokes about an assault," telling the producer that his tweet wasn't "the congratulatory message you think it is," Packer went into further detail about what he truly thought of the incident.
"Black people have a defiant spirit of laughter when it comes to dealing with pain because there has been so much of it," Packer, who is Black, tweeted on March 28. "I don't feel the need to elucidate that for you."
He added, "But I also don't mind being transparent and say that this was a very painful moment for me. On many levels."
On Sunday night, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but not to Rock for his outburst while accepting the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as tennis coach Richard Williams in King Richard. "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees," Smith said with tears in his eyes. "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me."
Comparing himself to the "crazy father" in the Venus and Serena Williams biopic, he added, "Love will make you do crazy things."
Following the awards ceremony, the Academy released a statement saying that it "does not condone violence of any form."
In a separate statement to E! News on March 28, the Academy said it "condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show," adding that Oscars officials have "started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law."
The Los Angeles Police Department previously told E! News that Rock, 57, has not moved forward in pressing charges against Smith over the altercation. "The individual involved has declined to file a police report," the department said in a statement. "If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
E! News has reached out to reps for Smith for comment.