Featured Image Credit: ABC
Topics: Celebrity, Will Smith
Stewart Perrie
There have been many reactions to Chris Rock's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars and the resulting slap he received from Will Smith.
Rock was on stage about to present the award for Best Documentary, but took a moment to call out Jada, who was sitting in the front row.
"Jada, I love you - G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it!" the comedian said, which was a reference to Demi Moore's 1997 film G.I. Jane.
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That movie saw Moore shave her head for the role.
The joke sparked a few laughs, including from Will Smith, who was sitting next to Jada. However, moments later he walked on stage and slapped the bejesus out of Chris and told him to keep his wife's name out of his 'f**king mouth'.
The reason why the joke might not have landed with Jada was because her shaved head wasn't something that was done for a fashion look.
The actor revealed late last year that she was finally accepting her alopecia after previously struggling with losing her hair.
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Rock's joke last night at the Oscars has prompted an angry response from Alopecia UK, a charity dedicated to helping people in Britain with the condition.
They said: "We wish to make it clear that we do not condone the actions of Will Smith and do not believe that violence is ever the answer for dealing with unwelcome remarks.
"But dealing with unwelcome remarks is unfortunately an all too real part of having alopecia. Baldness continues to be an easy target for obvious observational ‘humour’."
They added: "Why should Will Smith have been provoked in such a way to respond with violence?
"Well, we can only assume that over the past couple of years since his wife Jada’s diagnosis with alopecia, he will have seen first-hand the emotional distress that can be caused when losing one’s hair.
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"Not only can it be upsetting for the person directly impacted by hair loss, it can be distressing for those close around."
The charity explained how alopecia has seen students sent home from school or adults face disciplinary proceedings for standing up to bald headed bullying.
Alopecia UK caveated that they did not condone violence of any kind, however they said this moment should serve as a reminder of why it's important to be nice to people.
"We advocate for calling out the insensitivity," the charity said. "Perhaps Will Smith could have stormed the stage to address Chris Rock’s remark (only assuming Jada was comfortable with this happening).
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"Instead of hitting Chris, it would have been brilliant if he had called out why the ‘joke’ was potentially damaging."