Liza Minnelli's Latest Outing Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing

If not for Will Smith's showstopper of a slap at Chris Rock's expense, Liza Minnelli would have likely been the highlight of the Oscars. The legendary songbird appeared onstage to present "Best Picture" alongside Lady Gaga. The "Cabaret" star was greeted with a thunderous standing ovation. Clearly, Minnelli was delighted, exclaiming, "Oh! It's so exciting," to which Gaga supportively enthused, "You see that? The public, they love you." 

However, Minnelli's magical moment has a controversial backstory. Longtime friend Michael Feinstein claimed that the icon felt "sabotaged' presenting in a wheelchair on SiriusXM's "Jess Cagle Show" in April, according to The Guardian. The pianist revealed Minnelli would originally only present if she could sit in a director's chair due to "back trouble." Plans changed last-minute, Feinstein alleged, after the Smith-Rock altercation had unnerved the Oscars' producers. Mere minutes before she was set to take the stage, Minnelli was told about the change. "She was nervous," Feinstein said. "Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don't wanna be seen?"

Although Minnelli may have suffered some momentary humiliation, her most recent outing proves that, like all the great divas, she always rises back up.

Liza Minnelli appears to have shaken off her own Oscars 2022 fiasco. The star of stage and screen seemed positively glowing while smiling at dinner with Michael Feinstein and Joan Collins, per an April 21 Instagram upload by Feinstein. "Had a lovely time last night with these two ladies," Minnelli's longtime creative collaborator captioned the pic. 

Fans were delighted to see Minnelli looking cheerful and relaxed. "Liza—beautiful as always!," enthused one commenter, while another noted, "Liza looks happy and thriving!" Amidst the recent reports of Minnelli's shaky health, another concerned Instagram user commented, "I'm glad Liza is eating again."

Minnelli's ex-publicist Scott Gorenstein previously told the New York Post in April that Minnelli "has had some health problems" as of late. (He did, however, greenlight the idea for Minnelli to present at the Oscars alongside Lady Gaga in honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of "Cabaret.") Meanwhile, Feinstein — who told SiriusXM's "Jess Cagle Show" that Minnelli was "very disappointed" about presenting in a wheelchair, per The Guardian — also shared that his good friend was "doing really well" afterwards.