Dustin Lance Black Says His Sam Smith Oscar Speech Slam Was a Joke: 'Feel Free to Laugh'

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Update: In September 2019, Sam Smith announced that they use they/them pronouns. This content was written in March 2016 before Smith publicly announced their pronouns.

Dustin Lance Black has responded to Sam Smith's apology over his Oscars acceptance speech – and claims he was joking all along.

The 41-year-old screenwriter took to Twitter on Monday to clarify his harsh comments about Sam Smith's suggestion that he may be the first openly gay man to win an Academy Award.

"Well this has proven to be a lively day on Twitter. From humor to anger. The former my intent … in defense of history. Much love to all," he wrote.

He followed up with a second tweet explaining why he called out Smith for texting his fiancé Tom Daly.

"Dear Internet: @TomDaly1994 and @samsmithworld are pals. They text. Thus my surprise Sam took me for a closet case! Feel free to laugh," he tweeted.

Smith, 23, took home an Oscar for Best Original Song thanks to his hit "Writing's on the Wall," which he wrote for the latest James Bond film. While accepting his award, he said he thought he might be the first openly gay man to win an Oscar, and dedicated the award to the LGBTQ community.

The "Stay With Me" crooner quickly received backlash for the comments, with Black – who had won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Milk in 2009 – calling him out on social media.

"Hey @SamSmithWorld, if you have no idea who I am, it may be time to stop texting my fiancé," he tweeted.

Smith also took to Twitter to explain his Oscar speech in an onslaught of posts, in which he corrected himself and apologized to Lance Black.