Jada Pinkett Smith: The World NEEDS Will Smith and Chris Rock to Reconcile
Jada Pinkett Smith has broken her silence.
To open her latest episode of Red Table Talk on Wednesday, the actress spoke out for the first time about a certain incident at the 2022 Academy Awards.
A certain incident that nearly broke the Internet and which overshadowed everything else that took place that evening, including her own husband winning his first-ever trophy for Best Actor.
Yes, we’re talking about the time Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.
“About Oscar night. My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” Jada told her talk show audience, getting all deep and profound and adding:
“With the state of the world today, we need ’em both, and we all actually need one another more than ever.”
Jada didn’t delve into specifics, but the state of the world these days is certainly unstable — between a war in Ukraine, multiple mass shootings in America and general unrest at seemingly all times.
It’s unclear how Will Smith and Chris Rock getting along would help with any of this, however.
Concluded Jada on Wednesdday:
“Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years — and that’s [to] keep figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.”
Wednesday’s episode of Jada’s Facebook series explords people’s stories of living with alopecia, a condition Jada has openly struggled with
It led into the aforementioned reference to the Academy Awards because Rock cracked a joke on stage about the star’s bald head, prompting Will Smith to get up from his seat and smack the comedian across the face.
While this was the first time Jada publicly addressed the incident specifically, she’s been open about the path of healing for a while.
On March 29, just days after the Oscars ceremony, she shared an Instagram post that read:
“This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.”
On the April 20 episode of Red Table Talk, she doubled down on this same broad theme as follows:
“With all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing.”
Will Smoth, for his part, has apologized to Rock for the slap. (Which we still can’t believe happened!)
The actor said in a statement on March 28:
“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.”
Added Smith at the time:
“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.”
Rock, meanwhile, has avoided the topic over the last two months, only making very quick and vague references to it during a few stand-up routines.
Finally, in response to the violent act, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences banned Smith from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.
“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” the superstar said in reply.
News of the ban came one week after the 53-year-old resigned from the Academy, thereby forfeiting his ability to vote in future Oscars.
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” said Smith on April 1.
“I betrayed the trust of the Academy.”