Liza Minnelli alleges the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mandated she use a wheelchair during the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, a claim detailed in her upcoming memoir, Kids, Wait Til You Hear This, set for release on March 10th. The revelation comes as Hollywood prepares for the 2026 Oscars on March 15th.
Minnelli, 79, presented the award for Best Picture alongside Lady Gaga at the 2022 ceremony. Footage from the event showed Gaga assisting Minnelli, who appeared to stumble over her words while reading from the teleprompter. The moment quickly went viral, with many praising Gaga’s support of the screen legend. However, Minnelli’s memoir paints a different picture, alleging she was given an ultimatum: use a wheelchair or not appear on stage at all.
“I was inexplicably ordered — not even asked — to sit in a wheelchair or not appear at all,” Minnelli writes in the memoir, as reported by Variety. “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—. ‘I will not be treated this way,’ I said. I was heartbroken. I was much lower down than I would have been in the director’s chair. Now I couldn’t easily read the teleprompter above me.”
According to Minnelli, she had anticipated being seated in a director’s chair, which would have provided a better vantage point for reading the teleprompter. The Academy, however, reportedly prioritized what they deemed her safety by insisting on the wheelchair. Minnelli expressed frustration that the change in plans hindered her ability to perform her presenting duties effectively.
Minnelli also details her reaction to Gaga’s assistance during the presentation. While acknowledging Gaga checked in with her before the show after hearing about the wheelchair situation, Minnelli writes that she simply responded by telling the artist she was “a considerable fan,” adhering to a principle instilled by her parents, Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli, to remain gracious under pressure. “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? So when I stumbled over a few words, Gaga, who was at my side, didn’t miss a beat to play the kindhearted hero for all the world to see,” Minnelli wrote.
The connection between Minnelli and Gaga extends beyond the 2022 Oscars. Both artists share a connection to Judy Garland, with Gaga having collaborated with Tony Bennett and Garland starring in the original A Star Is Born.
As of Saturday, February 21, 2026, the Academy has not issued a public response to Minnelli’s allegations.
