It’s been a few months since the slap was heard, debated, and memed all over the world. When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March after the latter made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald hairstyle (which she maintained due to a hair loss condition, unbeknownst to Rock), it shocked viewers everywhere. Amid the flurry of Twitter memes and instant reactions, a lot of debate was had concerning the sensitivity of Chris Rock’s joke and the justifiability of Will Smith’s actions. Finally, after addressing it on social media, Jada Pinkett Smith talked about the incident on the latest episode of her family-centered talk show Red Table Talk.
Contrary to what might have been expected by some, Jada Pinkett-Smith did not apologize or take responsibility for the incident, either on Will’s behalf or her own. Of course, she was not responsible at all, but she hopes that Chris Rock and Will Smith “have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile” as “two intelligent, capable men.” She had just one more thing to say about the slap: she believes both stars are sorely needed considering the state of the world, and that support for one another is more important than ever.
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This episode’s focus was on the challenges of alopecia, the condition that causes Jada’s hair loss. This season of Red Table Talk began with a statement that the Smith family is focused on deep healing and would address the Oscars issue when the time comes.
Will has since been banned from the Oscars ceremonies for the next ten years for his actions, and responded in acceptance. While he has yet to address the slap at length, we hope that Jada’s statement is the start of a new chapter of reconciliation for Will Smith and Chris Rock.
You can check out the clip from Red Table Talk below.