American actress and talk show host Jada Pinkett Smith says she hopes Will Smith and Chris Rock can reconcile in their episode Red Table Talk, dealing with the events that took place at the Oscars in March.
Key points:
- Pinkett Smith has already mentioned the incident of the Oscar slap in her episode Red Table Talk
- Pinkett Smith and her husband, Will Smith, “continue to discover life together”
- He had guests on his podcast to talk about his own experiences with alopecia
She turned her husband’s explosion on Oscar night into an educational moment about alopecia areata, the hair loss disorder that affects her and millions of others.
“Given what I’ve gone through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands of people have contacted me with their stories,” Pinkett Smith said.
The actor said he chose to take advantage of “this moment to give our alopecia family a chance to talk about what it’s like to have this disease” and what it is.
Before addressing the issue, Pinkett Smith addressed the Academy Awards events, when Smith slapped Rock on stage after Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s appearance.
Jada Pinkett Smith is already focusing on members of the alopecia community. (Reuters: Mike Blake)
Pinkett Smith tackles the Oscars slap
He used the start of his Red Table Talk episode to address the incident.
“Now, on Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two smart, capable men will have a chance to heal, talk about it, and reconcile,” he said. “The state of the world today, we need both of us. We really need each other more than ever.
“Until then, Will and I have been doing what we’ve been doing for the last 28 years, and that’s continuing to discover this thing called life together.”
After slapping Chris Rock (left) on stage, Will Smith (right) was kicked out of the Oscars for 10 years. (AP)
Red Table Talk chapter on alopecia
Among her guests were the mother of a 12-year-old girl, Rio Allred, who suffered harassment from losing her hair and committed suicide, and a doctor who explained the different types of the disorder.
Alopecia areata can cause hair to fall from the scalp into patches and also affect other parts of the body, such as the eyebrows and nose hair.
Rio’s mother, Nicole Ball, explained the impact of the Oscar incident, which took place less than two weeks after her daughter’s death.
“What is the universe doing right now? This is crazy,” Ms. Ball said. “People will be searching on Google, ‘What is alopecia … What is it that we’ve never heard of?’ It’s not a joke. “
Pinkett Smith said she felt “so much outrage” from people suffering from alopecia because there is “a lot of shame.”
“I think the hardest part for me is coming and going. You’re going through something and you have to shave your head,” Pinkett Smith said.
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AP