Liza Minnelli was 'sabotaged,' 'shaken' in Oscar stage moment, says friend Michael Feinstein

Liza Minnelli's moment on the Oscar stage with Lady Gaga, one of the highlights of an awards show mired by Will Smith's infamous slap, is being re-examined.

Minnelli appeared in a wheelchair with Lady Gaga to present the best picture, the final award of the evening at the 94th Academy Awards in March. The moment was especially endearing when Gaga stepped back to allow Minnelli to accept the Dolby Theatre audience's warm applause. After Minnelli appeared to struggle with the teleprompter, Gaga assisted then whispered audibly, "I got you." Minnelli whispered back, "I know."

However, longtime Minnelli friend Michael Feinstein, says he was in the theater wings with Minnelli. He spoke out about the Oscar appearance on SiriusXM’s "The Jess Cagle Show," saying the legendary actress, 76, was "sabotaged" before taking the stage. 

Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga warm hearts amid chaotic Oscars night: Watch the tender moment

When host Jess Cagle said Minnelli seemed shaken onstage, and inquired about her health, Feinstein said the appearance was altered by the last-second decision to appear in the wheelchair onstage. Minnelli had planned to be in a director's chair with Lady Gaga on stage, he said. 

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

"Minnelli only agreed to appear on the Oscars if she would be in the director's chair, because she's been having back trouble," said Feinstein in the Wednesday episode. "She said, 'I don't want people to see me limping out there … I wanna look good. I don't want people to worry about me.'"

But following Smith's slap of Chris Rock onstage earlier in the night, Feinstein said the plans were switched.

"I guess they were all shaken up because of everything that had happened earlier," Feinstein said, adding that the show stage manager insisted on a wheelchair for Minnelli.

'The slap':Will Smith blocked from Academy events for 10 years, Board of Governors decides

Minnelli pushed back, initially refusing, according to Feinstein. But the production team insisted on the wheelchair "or nothing" just before the Minnelli stage time, said Feinstein: "I was there. I said, 'What do you wanna do?' And she said, 'I'll do it.'

"She was so shaken that she was discombobulated. She was nervous," said Feinstein of the appearance. "And it made her look like she was out of it. 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 want to be seen? That's what happened to her. And she was very disappointed at that."

Feinstein said that Minnelli, who has battled health issues, is "really doing well."

"It's shame that it turned out that way," he added of the Oscar appearance. "She was very disappointed."

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the statements on the show. Minnelli's representative declined to comment. Feinstein's press representative also declined to comment further.