Jada Pinkett Smith Reflects On Alopecia Diagnosis

The 2022 Oscars stirred up buzz after the Will Smith and Chris Rock scandal. The controversial face slap was publicly circulated, which drew a lot of attention to Jada Pinkett Smith. Suffering from alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that attacks hair follicles, Pinkett-Smith has lost her locks over recent years. But even though she’s constantly in the eyes of the camera, the 51-year-old actress isn’t letting superficial appearances stop her from sharing her beauty with the world.

In an interview with The Guardian, Pinkett Smith shares “I learned a lot about detachment. And I learned a deeper beauty within myself, being able to let my hair go.” She reflects further on her diagnosis calling it “a great teacher. It’s been a hard one, a scary one – because specifically as Black women, we identify so much of ourselves with our hair. And it was scary. I had to really dig deep and see the beauty of myself beyond my aesthetics.”

Jada Pinkett Smith On African Queens: Njinga

The Red Table Talk host certainly hasn’t let Alopecia take over her confidence and continues to empower herself and other women through her work. Her upcoming new documentary series African Queens: Njinga releases this month on Netflix. As the executive producer and narrator, Pinkett Smith explores the life of Queen Njinga of Angola. This series includes interviews with experts alongside historical reenactments and plans to showcase the lives of the most iconic female rulers in Africa. The multi-talented actress is also signed on for a memoir, which will publish this fall.

In light of the upcoming release of African Queens, the mother of two reflects on the power of black women. “In most Black families, the women are the glue. They’re the matriarchs, the weavers of love, the leaders of spiritual knowledge within our homes.” She also recounts the difficulties she has had as a black woman in the entertainment industry, but thanks her grandmother for her success. Pinkett Smith’s grandmother, who primarily raised her, had taught her from a young age to rise above, no matter what challenge may present itself. Despite all of the difficulties Pinkett Smith has faced, there’s no doubt that she has followed her grandmother’s teachings. Be sure to catch African Queens: Njinga airing on February 15th, 2022 on Netflix!

Will Smith Apologizes To Questlove For Ruining His Oscars Win With The Slap: ‘I Can Still See Questlove’s Eyes’

In news that you very well may have heard about, back in March, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars. A footnote from that moment, though, is that Rock was on stage to give Questlove the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a win that was of course overshadowed by what preceded it.

Well, today, Smith shared a video in which he apologizes to Rock and also to Questlove (who, like Smith, is a Philadelphia hip-hop icon). In the five-minute video posted on Smith’s YouTube channel, an upload titled “It’s been a minute…” that takes the form of a Q&A, Smith said of Questlove:

“To all my fellow nominees: You know, this is a community. It’s like, I won because you voted for me, and it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes. It happened on Questlove’s award, and… you know… it’s like, ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”

Questlove hasn’t publicly said much about the incident. Shortly after it happened, he shared a tweet from somebody else that read, “I think the whole Will Smith assault rattled @questlove who had to give a speech like 90 seconds later. He couldn’t even remember the names of his co-winners. #Oscars.”

Meanwhile, Joseph Patel, one of Questlove’s Summer Of Soul co-producers, wrote in part around the same time, “Once we realized the Chris Rock/Will Smith interaction wasn’t a bit, everything got turned upside down. Everyone was still trying to make sense of it when Chris persevered & started to read the nominees. I think what Will did was selfish. It robbed the category of its moment. It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs. And it robbed Summer of Soul and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film. I feel bad for Ahmir. I feel bad for my fellow producers. I feel bad for our whole team. I feel bad for all the people watching and rooting for us. “

Diddy Lied About Will Smith And Chris Rock Reconciling After The Oscars Slap, Rock’s Brother Claims

A couple days ago, Diddy insisted that Will Smith and Chris Rock settled their differences after the former infamously slapped the latter during the 2022 Oscars. He said at the time, “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that. […] It’s all love. They’re brothers.”

Since then, though, there have been reports that what Diddy said isn’t entirely accurate, as a TMZ report indicated Smith and Rock have not spoken since the slap. That report was later updated to note, “A source in Diddy’s camp tells us he never claimed Chris and Will met up — he spoke with them individually — and then reiterated what he said on stage, the two are brothers and ‘it’s all love.’”

Now, somebody close to Rock — his brother, actor and comedian Tony Rock — has weighed in, reiterating that Rock and Smith have not made up. Somebody asked Tony Rock on Twitter, “so Diddy was lying when he said Chris and Will made up that night and are good now?” He responded simply, “Yup.”

It would appear, then, the closest thing to contact the two have had since the incident was Smith’s public apology, which reads in part, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

Questlove Was ‘Rattled’ While Giving His Oscars Speech After The Will Smith Slap, He Confirms

At this year’s Academy Awards, Questlove got the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). That was the biggest moment of his night, but the main takeaway of the event more broadly happened immediately before, when Chris Rock, who was on stage to present the documentary award, got slapped by Will Smith. Now, it seems Questlove confirmed that while giving his acceptance speech, he was (understandably) thrown off by what happened just moments earlier.

Yesterday, a Twitter user wrote, “I think the whole Will Smith assault rattled @questlove who had to give a speech like 90 seconds later. He couldn’t even remember the names of his co-winners. #Oscars.” Questlove responded with just an emoji of a fax machine. Emojipedia notes the fax machine emoji is “sometimes used in emoji form as an alternative to the words ‘facts,’ due to the similarity of pronunciation.” So, based on Questlove’s usage of it, it looks like he’s confirming he was indeed rattled while giving his speech.

Meanwhile, before sending that tweet, Questlove talked about the win on The Tonight Show, with neither him nor Jimmy Fallon directly mentioning Smith or Rock. Questlove told Fallon he was meditating during the commercial break before the award was presented. He also noted, “I realized that that was a real moment, like, maybe three seconds before I spoke words. In my mind, they’re just doing a sketch or whatever and I’m just like, ‘OK Ahmir, remember to thank your mom, your dad, thank Tariq [Trotter, aka Black Thought of The Roots]…’ So I was not present at all. I was just in a blank slate.”

Watch Questlove on The Tonight Show below.

George Wallace Wants To Make Sure That Questlove’s Oscar Win Isn’t Overshadowed By The Will Smith Slapping Skirmish

Chris Rock wasn’t the only casualty of Will Smith’s rage at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony. Sure, it was Rock’s face that absorbed the power of Smith’s smack after the comedian made a joke about the King Richard star’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. But the confusion that ensued in the moments following the unexpected skirmish left many viewers trying to piece together what they had just seen, as the American broadcast cut the live feed in order to censor Smith’s language and some of what had happened. Had it all been a skit?

As viewers feverishly texted friends and checked Twitter to see what exactly they had missed, one person seemed to get lost in the shuffle: Questlove, the Philly-born musician who first rose to fame as the frontman for The Roots, and who has racked up credits as a songwriter, record producer, author, actor, film producer, and director (when he’s not heading up the house band for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon).

It was Questlove, a.k.a. Ahmir Thompson, who ended up inching one step closer to an EGOT when he won the Oscar for Best Documentary for Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), an outstanding reminder of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a celebration of Black music and culture, which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock, as the two events partly overlapped.

Fortunately, legendary comedian/actor George Wallace made sure to call out Questlove’s achievement, and assure Quest—who directed and executive produced the doc—that “We saw that sh*t, Quest!”

Questlove appreciated, and felt, the love.

Meanwhile, Smith has officially issued an apology to Rock for how things went down at last night’s ceremony, saying that he is “a work in progress.” Maybe an “I’m sorry” to Questlove will come next.

50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, And More Weigh In On Will Smith’s Wild Oscars Moment

Good morning. So, last night, every ounce of West Philly jumped out of Safe Black Guy Will Smith, who left fresh prints (heyo) on Chris Rock’s face during the Academy Awards after Rock made an ill-considered joke at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. In 2021, Jada revealed her ongoing struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that can make a person’s hair fall out. Rock, perhaps not realizing this, remarked that Jada’s freshly-shaved head could make her a candidate to star in a G.I. Jane remake (the titular character shaves her head upon joining the US Marines).

In a video taken from an international broadcast of the ceremony, Jada’s face says it all. For Will, who has had to put up with years of jokes about the couple’s marriage, this last straw broke the camel’s back, and he strode onto the stage to make an example of Rock, slapping him across the face. Although Rock tried to play the moment off, Will shouted from his seat: “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Fortunately, it seems Rock is taking things in stride, and according to Diddy, the two men had nothing but love afterward.

Obviously, those who saw the moment, whether live in person or watching at home, have thoughts about the possible overreaction, and the hot takes flew fast and furious on social media — including among Will Smith’s celebrity peers, including rappers like 50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and more.

While 50, Drake, and others brought out the jokes, Nicki gave an empathetic — and vaguely threatening — take, expressing empathy for Jada Pinkett Smith. “Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald,” she wrote. “You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone? You don’t think she’s cried about that many times? 2022 y’all gon have to see these men about those jokes you made about their wives.”

Check out the responses, reactions, and hot takes below.

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Instagram

Questlove Got Emotional Accepting His Best Documentary Oscar For ‘Summer Of Soul’

Chris Rock was supposed to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards last night. He did do that, but that wasn’t the takeaway from his time on stage, given that after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith got on stage and slapped him.

After the incident, though, Rock did manage to present the award, giving it to Questlove’s film Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). In an already emotionally charged atmosphere, Questlove (who shook Smith’s hand and hugged him on his way to the stage) gave an acceptance speech, in which he too got emotional.

Pausing on multiple occasions, Questlove said:

“It’s not lost on me that the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother… and my dad… should have taken me to when I was 5 years old, and… This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But this is not about me. This is about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. And just know that in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem. This is a story of… I’m sorry, I’m just overwhelmed right now. I’m going to get myself together and thank everyone properly when I get off stage. […] I’m so happy right now, I could cry. Thank you.”

During a recent Late Night With Seth Meyers interview, Questlove noted the success of the movie has exceeded his expectations, saying, “At least I know with music what a goal is, but with the movie world, I just had no clue. I just wanted to make something really cool and hopefully they were gonna show it in a few classrooms, and then maybe discover it 20 years from now, like, ‘Yo, you know Questlove did this thing?’”

Watch Questlove’s acceptance speech above and find the full list of this year’s Academy Award winners here.

Diddy Claims That Will Smith And Chris Rock Settled Their Beef After The Oscars Ceremony: ‘It’s All Love… They’re Brothers’

In case you haven’t been online for the past 12 hours, what will certainly go down as one of the year’s defining pop culture events happened last night. While on stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards last night, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith, her husband, didn’t take kindly to the jab, so he got on stage, slapped Rock in the face pretty hard on live television, returned to his seat, and screamed twice, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth!”

It was a surreal moment and now we’re left with the aftermath. On that note, it appears Rock and Smith have settled their differences and moved on: Diddy, who was in attendance, told Page Six, “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that.” The publication noted he did not elaborate on how the two had reconciled but continued, “It’s all love. They’re brothers.”

This comes after Page Six reported, citing “sources at the Academy Awards,” that Diddy talked to both Rock and Smith and that the two had “agreed to make amends later in the evening.” Later, Smith showed up to Vanity Fair‘s Oscars party, while Rock did not, as Page Six notes. They also said of the scene, “Smith arrived after midnight and headed to the dance floor. DJ D-Nice was spinning tunes and played a number of songs by Smith as a tribute when the star and his family arrived. Smith, 53, danced and rapped along to his ’90s hits ‘Summertime,’ Miami,’ and ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.’ Jada, 50, was by his side grooving on the dance floor, along with their kids Jaden, 23, and Willow, 21.”

HER TRENDS: Our Pics For The Top 10 Best Dressed Celebs At The 2022 Oscars

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The Oscars were back in full swing this year literally, The Star-studded event, produced by Will Packer bought diversity to the program, from performances to presenters.  And in pure Hollywood fashion, our faves showed up, showed off, and showed out, bringing back old Hollywood glam with outfits that took them from being simply actors to movie stars. With all the drama that went down, with Will Smith and Chris Rock,   we couldn’t forget about the looks that made our jaws drop.   Check out the looks we think will inspire fashion lovers for years to come.

1.

Jay-Z and Beyonce wearing Custom Valentino

2.

Halle Bailey in Roberto Cavalli and Sister Chloe in Laurel Dewitt

3.

Queen Latifah wearing Pamela Roland

4.

Megan Thee Stallion wearing a Gaurav Gupta gown

5.

H.E.R. Looked stunning in Carolina Herrera 

6.

Zendaya wowed in a Custom Valentino 

7.

Co-Host Regina Hall wore Custom Vera Wang

8.

Jessica Betts Wearing Rich Fresh and Niecy Nash in Monsoori Officail

9.

10.

Venus Williams wearing custom Elie Saab while sister Serena was pretty in a pink Gucci gown

The post HER TRENDS: Our Pics For The Top 10 Best Dressed Celebs At The 2022 Oscars appeared first on The Source.

Questlove’s ‘Summer Of Soul’ Is Nominated For A 2022 Oscar Award And He’s Pretty Pumped About It

Despite only being a first-time director, The Roots’ drummer Questlove has already entered rarified air as one of the nominees for the 2022 Academy Awards. he’s nominated for Best Original Documentary for his debut film, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which captured the subversive energy and vibrant performances of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The documentary is also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film, an impressive achievement for the veteran musician.

Questlove himself seemed pretty pumped about the new nomination online — to the point of incoherence. He tweeted out an unintelligible string of characters before he was able to compose himself enough to write a tweet genuinely expressing his excitement. “Oscar Nominated Film Director Questlove……I just need to see this in print,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, over on Instagram, he needed the help of some archival video to tell his followers “THIS IS HOW I FEEL.” “Man I’m so happy about this,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you to every last soul that assisted in this journey from 1969 to tomorrow!!!”

Should Questlove win the category (out of a field that also includes Ascension, Attica, Flee, and Writing With Fire, he’ll be halfway to an EGOT — and with Black Thought’s musical Black No More still in the works, there’s time for Quest to attach his name and position himself for a potential Tony as well. Then all he’ll need is for John Oliver to take a season off and that EGOT’s in the bag.