The biggest news of Oscars night was the slap that occurred when Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. Will Smith turned to violence and profanity to defend his wife.

The situation was so unexpected and so shocking that other aspects of the night paled in comparison, but one stood out as the opposite of the slap. The on stage appearance between Liza Minnelli and Lady Gaga seemed to be an example of how to treat older people with respect and dignity.

This is like a lesson in how to facilitate older people while honouring who they are.What a class act by @ladygaga with legend Liza Minnelli. The conferred whispers of “I gotcha” “I know” picked up by the mikes make it especially touching.pic.twitter.com/2JOWyrTQxn

— Naomi O’Leary (@NaomiOhReally) March 28, 2022

The female duo was together on stage to present an award. Reportedly, Gaga had requested that Minnelli be her co-presenter, and Minnelli had agreed on one condition. She wanted to be seated on stage in a director’s chair.

If you watched the Oscars, you probably remember that Minnelli was seated in a wheelchair and not a director’s chair. According to Minnelli’s long time friend, Michael Feinstein, this was a last minute decision that happened backstage literally 5 minutes before it was time for Minnelli to go on stage.

According to Feinstein, Minnelli has been having some on-going back problems, and she wanted to be seated in a director’s chair so that nobody would see her limp on stage. She didn’t want anyone to worry about her health.

On the The Jess Cagle Show on SiriusXM, Feinstein explained that Minnelli told him, “You know, I wanna look good. I don’t want people to worry about me.”

Perhaps it was due to the unexpected slap that happened earlier in the show, but at the last minute, the stage manager changed his mind and told Minnelli that she would have to go on stage in a wheelchair or not go on stage at all.

Feinstein explained, “And Liza pleaded. She said, ‘No, I will not be seen in a wheelchair in front of everybody. I will not do this. I refuse to do this.’ And they said, ‘Well, it’s either that or nothing.”

Feinstein was backstage with Minnelli at the time. He turned to her and asked, “What do you wanna do?” According to Feinstein she said, “I’ll do it.”

While Minnelli was on stage, at times she looked confused, but Feinstein explained that this was due to the sudden change backstage. He said, “She was so shaken that she was discombobulated. She was nervous. It made her look like she was out of it.” He added, “And she was just so shaken up. Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don’t wanna be seen? That’s what happened to her, and she was very disappointed at that, that that happened, and it was not what was agreed to.”

According to Feinstein, there really is nothing to worry about when it comes to Minnelli’s health. He claims she is doing very well but that she was “sabotaged” at the Oscars. He says “she was very disappointed” with the experience.