Jada Pinkett Smith breaks silence, promotes 'healing' after Will Smith, Chris Rock slap

Jada Pinkett Smith addressed the public Tuesday for the first time since husband Will Smith's now-infamous slap at Chris Rock during the Academy Awards show Sunday after the comedian made a joke about her bald head. 

"This is a season for healing and I'm here for it," read a graphic posted to Pinkett Smith's Instagram account on Tuesday, her first social media post since the incident.

Representatives for Rock have not responded to requests for comment and he has yet to make any public statements. 

Rock made the joke while presenting an award during the show that prompted Will Smith to get up on the Dolby Theater stage, slap Rock in the face and shout twice at the comedian to "keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth." 

Jada Pinkett Smith has openly talked about being diagnosed with alopecia, which results in hair loss, since 2018. She decided to go bald after daughter, Willow, encouraged her to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith)

Minutes after the incident, Smith won best actor for playing Venus and Serena Williams' father in "King Richard." During his speech, he apologized to the academy and his fellow nominees. A day later, he apologized to Rock, writing in a social media statement that "violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive" and that he was "out of line" and "wrong" for his actions. 

Smith added: "My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Screen Actors Guild have both said they are reviewing the incident. 

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A week before the incident, Jada Pinkett Smith discussed her hair in a TikTok video.

"Being a Black woman and dealing with hair in Hollywood, especially in the era that I came up in, having your hair look as European as possible was always the thing," she said, reflecting on how she felt pressured to wear her hair straight despite preferring it curly. 

Now, "I don't give two craps about what people feel about this bald head of mine," she said. "'Cause guess what? I love it."

What causes alopecia? Here's what Jada Pinkett Smith has said about the condition

Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head:Why Chris Rock's hair joke was so problematic