Jada Pinkett Smith’s recent press interviews have pop culture media in a chokehold right now. A lot of that revolves around her relationship status with Will Smith, the infamous Oscars slap to Chris Rock, and her bond with Tupac Shakur. However, a recent confession from the actress has fans very intrigued, especially with the added context of the Smith family’s dynamic. Apparently, she was very surprised that the Fresh Prince called her his “wife” during his rant against Rock at the ceremony. While speaking to NBC‘s Hoda Kotb, the Baltimore native revealed why it was such a shocking moment to her.
“I did that eye-roll [in response to Chris Rock’s joke about her alopecia at the Oscars] not so much for me,” Jada Pinkett Smith remarked. “And I think this is really important. But [rather] the fact that there could be a jab at alopecia.” Then, she went into detail about her reaction to Will Smith’s defense of her. “What is going on? Now, first of all, I’m really shocked. ‘Cause, mind you, I’m not there. We haven’t called each other husband or wife in a long time.
Jada Pinkett Smith Revisits Her Shock At Will Smith Calling Her His “Wife”
“I’m like, ‘What is going on right now?’” Jada Pinkett Smith continued. “‘Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth,’ right? And now I’m really worried for Will, because I don’t know what’s going on.” Another recent piece of info to emerge from this press onslaught is that the talk show host thought that the whole thing was a skit. Of course, it didn’t take long for her and the rest of the world to find out that it wasn’t. Still, this gave an oddly reconciliatory context to an event that many thought was out of line.
As such, now the fact that Will and Jada were living separately gives a whole new angle to view “The Slap” from. It’s unclear, though, how the actor feels about all this dirty laundry emerging when it comes to his relationships. We’ll have to wait and see if there are multiple sides to this story. For more news and the latest updates on Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, check back in with HNHH.
Musical artists finding themselves in hot water with awards shows is nothing new. From onstage misbehaviors to legal issues, there are plenty of reasons artists are uninvited or outright banned from attending ceremonies. While some of these bans have been met with pushback from fanbases, others certainly held merit. Whether fans agreed with Awards Shows’ decisions or not, it’s hard to deny the cultural impact these bans have had. Let’s look at five rappers who have been barred from attending and/or performing at awards shows.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 05: Chief Keef performs during the 2022 Roots Picnic at The Mann at Fairmount Park on June 05, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban)
Chief Keef has always been a controversial figure in the world of hip-hop. Back in 2013, Keef claimed he was banned from performing at the BET Awards, much to the rapper’s chagrin. He responded to the claim via social media, slamming the network for his exclusion. The whole ordeal was steeped in hearsay.
However, in 2014 it seemed that Chief Keef found himself banned from the network entirely after a no-show for the program 106 & Park. This led to massive speculation as to what was happening behind the scenes. In an Instagram post, rapper and 106 & Park host Bow Wow confirmed that Keef had been “blackballed” by the network. Whatever the truth of the matter was, there is still bad blood between Keef and the network.
4. 6ix9ine
MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 17: Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine performs during the MiamiBash 2021 at FTX Arena on December 17, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images,)
The controversial rapper, Tekashi 6ix9ine was scheduled to perform his hit song “FEFE” at the 2018 MTV Music Video Awards. According to Nicki Minaj, who features on the track, claimed the New York rapper was barred from performing at the awards show.
Minaj went on to claim she “fought” to get 6ix9ine on stage but was met with resistance from the awards show. But considering the heinous nature of Takeshi’s well-documented legal issues, it’s no surprise her pleas fell on deaf ears. 6ix9ine was convicted in 2015 of sexual misconduct with a minor.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 22: Chris Brown performs at 2018 BET Experience Staples Center Concert, sponsored by COCA-COLA, at L.A. Live on June 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET)
Since 2009, R&B star Chris Brown has been the subject of controversy. The 34-year-old singer has quite a track record of being sued and accused of crimes including sexual misconduct and physical assault. Despite all the allegations and legal issues, Brown still has a large fan following.
However, it seemed his cultural attaché had its limits. In 2022, Brown took to social media, claiming he was banned from performing at award shows. In the post, Brown commented, “Awards show haven’t let me perform in years… yet my shows STILL SELL OUT.” Later, he confirmed that the BET Awards continue to bar him. Some fans were quick to take umbrage with this revelation. Regardless, Brown appears to still be banned from performing at award shows to this day.
2. Ye
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 11: (AFP OUT) Rapper Kanye West speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval office of the White House on October 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Oliver Contreras – Pool/Getty Images)
It’s hard to see Ye’s name in a headline and not cringe these days. Whether he’s violating social media rules or espousing pro-Hitler gibberish on far-right talk shows, he’s never far from controversy. Ye (formerly Kanye West) has always demanded the spotlight. He has certainly pushed the notion of “any press is good press” to the limits, with diminishing returns.
However, in 2022, the Chicago-based rapper/producer found himself banned from performing at the Grammy Awards. Representatives for the awards show cited Ye’s disturbing social media behavior as the key reason. Things have not gotten much better for the artist. Ye’s controversial (and outright horrific) statements continue to make him a pariah in the cultural zeitgeist, and rightfully so.
1. Will Smith
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Will Smith accepts the Actor in a Leading Role award for ‘King Richard’ onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
At the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, actor and rapper Will Smith found himself in hot water. In what’s been dubbed “the slap heard around the world,” the Oscar-nominated actor took to the stage and smacked Chris Rock with an open palm. The moment was shocking and came after Rock had made disparaging remarks regarding Jada Pinkett Smith.
The fallout from “The Slap” led to Will Smith’s ten-year ban from the Academy Awards for his actions. Some Smith fans felt the ban was uncouth and unfair. Meanwhile, Rock would go on to discuss it in his standup special Selective Outrage!
You may have heard that Netflix recently livestreamed Chris Rock’s new special, Selective Outrage. You may also be aware that the standup comic used the latter third of the special to absolutely ream Will and Jada Pinkett Smith over the slapping incident at last year’s Academy Awards. During that extended bit, Rock — who loves to name-check rappers in his act — cited the controversial hip-hop podcast Drink Champs as one of the reasons Smith was so angry at him that he resorted to violence over Rock’s jokes about Jada.
“Everybody called him a bitch and who did he hit? Me!” Rock complained, apparently including Drink Champs, which did discuss rumors that Jada had an extended “entanglement” with singer August Alsina (she even coined that phrase on an episode of her own podcast, Red Table Talk). However, the hosts want it made clear that they never called Will anything of the sort. In their latest episode preview on Instagram, NORE, DJ EFN, and guest Joe Budden discussed Selective Outrage and the shout-out their show got.
In the clip, NORE asks EFN, “You called Will Smith a bitch?” to which his co-host emphatically replies, “No, man! That was you! Nah, nah. Nobody here called him a bitch.” After playing the Rock joke, Budden offered his view, “I don’t agree with anything he did, but I’m not calling another man a bitch. I’m not going to do that, but Chris Rock said y’all did that, Drink Champs.” For what it’s worth, he has a point there; he just makes “careless” jokes about Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting, asks inane questions about Isaiah Rashad’s sexuality, and hashes out accusations of abuse and sexual harassment. But he doesn’t call men “bitches.” Round of applause for Joe.
The Drink Champs hosts seemed enthused about the reference, though. “I love the way he named us, because he put us in the rapper category,” said NORE, giving his signature catchphrase: “Let’s make some noise for Chris Rock, God damn it!”
You can stream Selective Outrage now on Netflix and watch the Drink Champs preview clip above.
