The 98th Academy Awards came with their fair share of controversies, one of which involved Teyana Taylor, who claimed she was shoved by a security guard while making her way to the stage for a group photo after her film One Battle After Another recorded the highest awards tally. Notably, Taylor was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Now, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued an apology for the incident involving the Oscar-nominated actress.
Academy thanks Taylor for showing “remarkable grace” after shoving incident
A security guard’s attempt at crowd control went awry, as Taylor said she was blocked and manhandled during her victory lap with the One Battle After Another team at the Dolby Theatre. She was caught on camera having a verbal altercation with a member of the security team.
“You’re a man putting your hands on a female… you’re very rude,” she could be heard saying, adding, “He literally shoved me… Do not touch me.”
Nevertheless, the Academy has stated that they are “extremely upset” by the sequence of events that unfolded on Oscar Night. “We were extremely upset to learn about the experience endured by Teyana Taylor at the end of the Oscars ceremony last night,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the body thanked Taylor for the “remarkable grace” with which she handled the incident and said that “appropriate measures” would be taken to ensure such a situation does not arise again. “We want to thank Teyana for showing remarkable grace, and we are taking the appropriate measures to ensure this does not happen again.”
The Academy further noted that the security firm hired, SIS, was responsible for guest safety at the venue and that it had been made clear to them that the “behavior” of the personnel was unacceptable. “Though the incident was with our outside security firm SIS, the experience of every single guest is our responsibility. We have made it clear to them that this behavior is not acceptable.”
Interestingly, the initial anger caused by the security guard’s alleged lapse in judgment appeared to subside as Taylor continued celebrating and attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party afterward.
