What Jada Pinkett Smith wants Will Smith and Chris Rock to do about Oscars’ episode

Just before Jada Pinkett Smith‘s Wednesday episode of “Red Table Talk” that is centered around alopecia – a condition that triggered a joke and a slapping incident at the Oscars – the actress spoke out for the first time on the issue. 

The discussion started with alopecia reminding her of the night when Will Smith went on the Oscars’ stage and slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife’s condition.

“This is a really important ‘Red Table Talk’ on alopecia. Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands have reached out to me with their stories. I’m using this moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it’s like to have this condition and to inform people about what alopecia actually is,” she said at the start of the Facebook Watch show, according to the New York Post.

Also Read | Jada Pinkett Smith in tears for alopecia victim who died by suicide over bullying

“Now, about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men [Smith and Rock] have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” Pinkett Smith said.

“The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together,” she continued. “Thank you for listening.”

During the grand award night, Rock joked comparing Pinkett Smith’s bald head to the lead character from the film “G.I. Jane.” While Rock thought it was funny, Will Smith did not play along. He got up from the audience, headed to the stage and slapped Rock.

“Red Table Talk” mentioned the slap on the first episode of Season 5 in April.

Also Read | Slap back reverb: Will Chris Rock host the Oscars in 2023?

“Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focused on deep healing,” read a title card at the beginning of the first episode. “Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls,” the message further stated. “Until then the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guest.”

During Wednesday’s episode, Pinkett Smith, her daughter, Willow, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris, spoke to a mother whose 12-year-old daughter killed herself after being bullied for having alopecia. 

Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that causes one’s hair to fall off. Pinkett Smith has suffered from the illness since 2018.