Liza Minnelli Says Oscars Forced Her Into Wheelchair and Left Her ‘Heartbroken’

liza minnelli writes in her forthcoming memoir that she was "inexplicably ordered — not even asked — to sit in a wheelchair" at the 2022 Oscars, a decision she says left her lower onstage and unable to read the teleprompter above her: "I was heartbroken. "

In Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, liza minnelli says she had expected to be seated in a director's chair to present the best picture Oscar but that plans changed at the last minute, with organizers pivoting to a wheelchair for what they said were safety concerns; she says that change led to her stumbling over a few words onstage and feeling unable to see the teleprompter clearly.

Liza Minnelli says she was ‘ordered’ into a wheelchair

She writes, "I was inexplicably ordered — not even asked — to sit in a wheelchair or not appear at all. I was told it was because of my age, and for safety reasons, because I might slip out of the director's chair, which was bullshit. " Minnelli adds that being "much lower down than I would have been" in the director's chair hampered her view and performance during the live broadcast of the 2022 ceremony.

Lady Gaga’s onstage comfort: "I got you"

During the moment that went viral, Lady Gaga was at Minnelli's side and, Minnelli writes, "didn't miss a beat to play the kindhearted hero for all the world to see. " Gaga leaned down and told Minnelli, "I got you, " then later visited Minnelli's dressing room and asked, "Are you okay?" Minnelli says she replied simply, "I'm a big fan. " The memoir quotes that exchange directly.

Organizers say safety was the concern

A source close to the 2022 Oscars told organizers chose the wheelchair when it became clear it would be necessary for Minnelli's overall safety. Minnelli's longtime friend Michael Feinstein has previously described the moment as a form of sabotage, saying she only agreed to appear if she could be in a director's chair because of back trouble.

Minnelli frames the episode as part of the arc of her life: she notes that the winner for best picture that year was CODA and writes, "I loved the irony of the title for me. Writing my memoir would be my coda, my truth. " Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! will be published on March 10, which is the next confirmed milestone tied to the revelations in the book.