Jada Pinkett Smith\u00a0turned her husband\u2019s\u00a0Oscar-night blow up\u00a0into a teachable moment about alopecia areata, the\u00a0hair-loss disorder\u00a0affecting her and millions of others that, in some cases, can impact a person\u2019s\u00a0sense of identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsidering what I\u2019ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands have reached out to me with their stories,\u201d Pinkett Smith said on\u00a0last Wednesday\u2019s episode of \u201cRed Table Talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
The actor said she chose to use \u201cthis moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it\u2019s like to have this condition\u201d and what it is. Her guests included the mother of a 12-year-old girl,\u00a0Rio Allred, who was bullied\u00a0over her hair loss and died by suicide, and a physician who explained the different types of the disorder.<\/p>\n
Before tackling the subject, Pinkett Smith addressed events at the March 27 Academy Awards. As presenter Chris Rock cracked a joke at Pinkett Smith\u2019s expense, she and her husband\u00a0Will Smith, a best-actor nominee, were in the audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cJada, I love you. \u2018G.I. Jane 2,\u2019 can\u2019t wait to see it,\u201d Rock said. Pinkett Smith, who\u00a0has spoken publicly about her alopecia, had a closely shaved head similar to Demi Moore\u2019s in the 1997 movie. Smith strode from his front-row seat to the stage and slapped Rock, shocking the comedian and the audience. He returned to his chair and later accepted the Oscar for \u201cKing Richard,\u201d subsequently\u00a0apologized to Rock\u00a0but was\u00a0banned from the ceremony\u00a0for 10 years by the film academy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile,\u201d Pinkett Smith said on \u201cRed Table Talk\u201d in an indirect reference to Smith and Rock. \u201cThe state of the world today, we need them both, and we all actually need one another more than ever.<\/p>\n