Dustin Lance Black Claims He Was Joking When He Dissed Sam Smith Over the Oscars
After taking Sam Smith to task for his acceptance speech at the Oscars on Sunday, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black is stepping back from the fray to explain that he was just kidding with his initial tweets.
"Well this has proven to be a lively day on Twitter," Black tweeted on Monday. "From humor to anger. The former my intent... in defense of history. Much love to all."
WATCH: Dustin Lance Black Slams Sam Smith for Claiming to Be First Openly Gay Oscar Winner
While accepting the Oscar for Best Song for his James Bond theme "Writing's on the Wall," the 23-year-old singer said that he thought he might be the first openly gay man to ever win an Oscar, and thus dedicated the award to the LGBT community.
Black took to Twitter to chastise Smith's comments, writing, "Hey @SamSmithWorld, if you have no idea who I am, it may be time to stop texting my fiancé. Here's a start," Black, 41, tweeted alongside a video of his memorable acceptance speech in 2009 after winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Milk.
WATCH: Sam Smith Apologizes to Dustin Lance Black Over Oscars Controversy: 'It Wasn't My Point'
On Monday, Black also clarified his comment about Smith texting his fiancé, 21-year-old English diver Tom Daley, explaining, "Dear Internet: @TomDaley1994 and @samsmithworld are pals. They text. Thus my surprise Sam took me for a closet case! Feel free to laugh."
To Smith's credit, he did apologize to Black for "the mix up" when he was informed of his mistake backstage, although the singer went on to explain that being the first openly gay man to win an Oscar "wasn't my point."
"My point was to shine some light on the LGBT community who i love so dearly," Smith tweeted.
For more on the tweet that kicked off the controversy, check out the video below.
Related Gallery
