Quite possibly one of the most shocking moments of the year was when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards over a joke made about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance. The actress has alopecia, which is a medical condition that causes hair loss. Pinkett Smith has been extremely open about her hair loss and how it has affected her. Today, she posted a radiant photo in honor of “Bald is Beautiful Day.”
While the slap incident is seen as an overall bad situation, Pinkett Smith has spoken out about how one silver lining to the whole thing is it has made more people aware of alopecia. In the photo, the Red Table Talk host is wearing a gorgeous gold top with full glam makeup. In the caption, she wished a happy Bald is Beautiful day all her “brothers and sisters with no hair.”
To add some context to the situation, at the Academy Awards this year Chris Rock made the joke “Jada, I love ya, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” The actress rolled her eyes and then her husband, Will Smith, got on stage and slapped Rock. He then yelled, “keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
Over the next few months, those involved have spoken out more about the situation. Smith publicly apologized saying he was “out of line” and he was “embarrassed.” Not long after Pinkett Smith posted a cryptic message about this being “a season for healing.” She also posted a TikTok not long after the incident saying she is “not giving two craps” about what people say about her hair.
When she returned to her show Red Table Talk, which is hosted by her, her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, she said the family was focusing on healing and that they would address the incident on the show when the time was right.
Early in June, the topic was discussed on the show. The episode was focused on alopecia. She spoke about how that episode of Red Table Talk and the incident were a time to discuss what it is like to live with the autoimmune disorder and inform the public about what the condition actually is. She also expressed her hope that the two men could “heal,” talk it out and “reconcile.”
While the Matrix Resurrections actress called for reconciliation, Rock is “not concerned with the Smiths at the moment.” The comedian and SNL alum is currently touring and preparing for a comedy special. However, Rock will occasionally reference The Slap bluntly in his stand-up.
The drama surrounding said slap seems to be never-ending. However, it’s good to see Pinkett Smith moving forward. She is consistently working, with new episodes of Red Table Talk that can be watched on Facebook Watch and her movie Matrix Resurrections can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. On top of her work, she is clearly using this moment as an opportunity to educate the public about alopecia and post about being bald and beautiful.