Before actor Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars Sunday evening, the comic made a quip about Jada Pinkett Smith that alluded to her shaved head.
“Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Rock mentioned, evaluating Pinkett Smith’s close-cropped hair to Demi Moore’s buzzcut within the 1997 motion movie.
Pinkett Smith didn’t smile or chuckle on the comment — seemingly as a result of she has a situation referred to as alopecia, which causes non permanent or everlasting hair loss. The 50-year-old actor and TV host has been vocal previously about her expertise with alopecia and the way it has affected her emotionally.
“It was terrifying when it when it first started,” Pinkett Smith mentioned in a 2018 episode of her Facebook Watch collection Red Table Talk.
“I was in the shower one day, and then just handfuls of hair — just in my hands — and I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I going bald?’ It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear. That’s a really scary experience.”
Since going public with her alopecia journey in 2018, Pinkett Smith has continued to be open about her relationship with hair loss. Here’s what else the performer has mentioned about the subject.
May 2018
During the primary season of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith revealed why she had been masking her head with a turban. After getting “every kind of test there is”, Pinkett Smith was informed she had alopecia.
“That’s why I cut my hair,” Pinkett Smith defined. “My hair has been a big part of me. Taking care of my hair has been a beautiful ritual — and having the choice to have hair or not — and then one day be like, ‘Oh my god, I might not have that choice.’
“I really had to put it in a spiritual perspective of like, the higher power takes so much from people,” she continued. “People are out here who have cancer. People have sick children. I watch the higher power take things every day, and by golly, if the higher power wants to take your hair? That’s it? God, you want my hair? When I looked at it from that perspective, it really did settle me.”
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith pose on the pink carpet throughout the Oscars arrivals on the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 27, 2022. Photo: Reuters
July 2021
Last summer time, Pinkett Smith declared it was “time to let go” of her hair within the caption of a candy Instagram picture with her daughter, Willow Smith, who additionally shaved her head.
“Willow made me do it … my 50s are bout to be Divinely lit with this shed,” Pinkett Smith wrote.
September 2021
On one other episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith elaborated on the choice to totally shave her head and mentioned that her husband “loves” the look.
“I was ready for that kind of expression and release,” she informed her mom, Adrienne “Gammy” Banfield-Norris, and daughter Willow.
“I’m so glad I did it. It was such a beautiful experience and such a freedom. I feel more connected to myself and to the great divine in a very special way…. I was just like, ‘I’m done. I’m just done with the worry. I’m done with the care. I’m just done.’”
December 2021
Just earlier than the New Year, Pinkett Smith found a brand new patch of hair loss, which she shared with thousands and thousands of Instagram followers in a close-up video of her naked scalp.
“Now, at this point, I can only laugh,” Pinkett Smith mentioned within the clip. “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia, and all of a sudden one day — look at this line right here. Look at that. It just showed up like that. And this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So I thought I’d just share it so y’all are not asking any questions.”
In the caption of her publish, Pinkett Smith wrote, “Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”
“Mama’s going to put some rhinestones in there,” she continued, pointing to the uncovered pores and skin on her head. “I’m going to make me a little crown. That’s what mama’s going to do.” – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
