“A joke about my wife’s medical condition was too much for mw to bear” says Smith in his apology post. On Sunday evening, everyone was left shocked when Will Smith slapped Chris rock in front of everyone on the stage of Oscars 2022. But what raised more fingers on the show was Will Smith winning the Best Actors award, soon after the incident.
The incident occurred when the host, Chris Rock cracked a joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Comparing Pinkett Smith’s shaved head with Demi Moore’s examine ‘GI Jane’, said that he couldn’t wait to see her in “GI Jane 2”, to which she feigned exacerbation. However, the remark didn’t go down well with Smith who strolled in front of an audience and slapped the host. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!” Will said.
Later, on Monday, Smith took to Instagram to publicly apologize to the comedian. The actor wrote, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour 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.”
“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.” he continued.
The incident garnered major attention and soon became the highlight of the 2022 Oscars. People had mixed reviews about it, some saying that Rock had it coming for a long time whereas most on them condemning Smith’s assault. Even the 94th Academy award received backslash for awarding Smith in the Best Actor’s category even after the incident.
Breaking her silence on the incident, Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith’s wife, shared a cryptic post on Instagram that read, “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it”.
While people were mocking the actor’s outburst on social media, Smith opened up about why a what seemed to be a simple harmless joke agitated him to the point of having a violent reaction. The Men in black actor shared that a joke about his wife’s medical condition was too much for him to bear.
Smith’s wife, Jada, suffers from an auto immune disorder that causes sudden hair loss. The condition is called alopecia areata. Dr Vijay Singhal, Senior Consultant, Dermatology, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute explains that, “The condition is developed after the immune system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss, which cannot be observed easily. These patches connect and then become observable,”.
Earlier in 2018, in an episode of the American talk show ‘Red Table Talk’, the actress had spoken about her condition and how she had dealt with it. “It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?’ It was one of those times in my life when I was literally shaking in fear. That’s why I cut my hair, and why I continue to cut it,” she had said.
Will Smith’s mother, Carolyn Smith, reacted to the incident saying that Smith has always been a people person and this is the first time in his life he has gone off on someone. When asked if the incident surprised her, she said “It did. I have never seen him do that.”
Chris Rock is yet to respond to the incident or to Smith’s apology that followed.
Published By: JAINAM SHETH
Edited By : KHUSHI THAKUR
