Liza Minnelli Blasts Lady Gaga and Oscars Over 2022 Wheelchair Incident
Legendary entertainer Liza Minnelli has delivered a blistering account of her chaotic appearance at the 2022 Academy Awards, where she was presented alongside Lady Gaga. In her upcoming memoir Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, excerpted in People magazine, the 80-year-old star details being "inexplicably ordered" to use a wheelchair against her will.
The Controversial Onstage Moment
Minnelli recalls being told she must sit in a wheelchair "or not appear at all" at the ceremony, where she was scheduled to present the Best Picture award. "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 bulls***," she writes. "I will not be treated this way."
The situation worsened when Lady Gaga rolled her onstage and attempted to get her to sing a song from her 1972 film Cabaret. Minnelli cut her off with a simple "Hi, everybody!" and later described feeling "heartbroken" by the experience. She notes being positioned too low to read the teleprompter clearly, adding: "How would you feel if you were wheeled out, against your will, to perform in front of a live audience, and unable to see clearly?"
The Dressing Room Confrontation
After the onstage debacle, Lady Gaga approached Minnelli in her dressing room to ask if she was okay. Minnelli responded with measured grace, saying simply: "I'm a big fan." She explains this reaction came from lessons learned from her parents: "At a moment of high stress, you stay gracious."
Minnelli particularly objected to Gaga's whispered "I got you" during their presentation, which was caught on microphone. She perceived this as the younger singer playing "the kindhearted hero for all the world to see" when she stumbled over words.
Background to the Memoir
The Oscar-winning actress and singer decided to write her autobiography after becoming "infuriated by the inaccurate depictions" of both her life and that of her mother, Judy Garland. Previously declaring she would "tell it when I'm gone," Minnelli changed her mind to set the record straight.
In explosive excerpts, she reveals childhood experiences of caring for her pill-addicted mother, calling doctors at age 13 to refill prescriptions. "I was my mother's caretaker - a nurse, doctor, pharmacologist, and psychiatrist rolled into one," she writes.
Personal Revelations and Career Highlights
The memoir spans Minnelli's entire life, including walking in on her first husband Peter Allen having sex with a man in their marital bed. "As the other gentleman quickly dressed and disappeared, I felt fragile and afraid," she recalls. Allen later told her: "Liza, I love you more than anyone in the world...and I'm gay."
Minnelli also discusses her legendary career, from becoming the youngest woman to win a Tony Award at age 19 to her Oscar-winning performance in Cabaret. She reveals she didn't prepare an acceptance speech because she was certain Diana Ross would win for Lady Sings the Blues.
Struggles with Addiction
The book details Minnelli's own battles with substance abuse, which began after her mother's death when she was prescribed Valium. "What began as a one-day blessing soon turned into a habit, then a full-blown case of addiction," she writes, calling it "a final gift, a genetic inheritance from Mama I could not escape."
She underwent multiple rehab stints, including one prompted by Elizabeth Taylor, who told her: "Liza, this disease is going to kill you if you don't do the right thing." Minnelli also reveals her inability to have children as "a tragedy I will never get over," having suffered three miscarriages and a stillbirth.
Recent Years and Recovery
Despite numerous health challenges including multiple surgeries on her knees, back, wrists, hips, and vocal cords, Minnelli continued performing. Her 2008 Broadway show Liza's at The Palace earned her another Tony Award.
After a final rehab trip in 2015, she maintains strict control over medications while managing chronic pain. "These days, if someone offers me a glass of champagne at a party, I thank them, and put it down without a sip," she writes. "But baby, there's no going back."
The memoir, co-written with her close friend Michael Feinstein, releases on March 10 and promises to be one of the year's most revealing celebrity autobiographies.
