Jada Pinkett Smith Breaks Her Silence on That Oscars Slap
Her Instagram post comes hours after husband Will Smith publicly apologised to Chris Rock.
Jada Pinkett Smith has finally broken her silence following the now-infamous Oscars slap.
On Tuesday (March 29) morning, the actress and Red Table Talk host shared an Instagram photo of a quote, seemingly addressing the incident. "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it," the quote read. The star didn't offer any context in the caption—but she really didn't need to.
On Sunday night, at the 94th Academy Awards, presenter Chris Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head (the result of her having alopecia), comparing her to the film character G.I. Jane, who also has a shaved head. Will Smith initially laughed at the joke, but it seems that seeing his wife's negative reaction upset him, as he quickly walked onto the stage and slapped Rock. The comedian was stunned—photos prove it—as was the star-studded Oscars audience, and yet things only escalated from there. The King Richard actor, once back in his seat, yelled across the theater at Rock, "Keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth."
Rock got past the awkward incident, which he called "the greatest moment in television history," but the drama did not end there. Once Smith took the stage to accept the Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Richard Williams (Venus and Serena Williams's father), he broke down in tears and said he felt he was "being called on" to protect and love the people close to him. In the audience, Pinkett Smith gazed at her husband with nothing but love, and the two later partied together with their kids and celebrity friends at Vanity Fair's after-party.
The couple's son, Jaden Smith, even defended his father that night, writing on Twitter, "And That's How We Do It."
Late Monday night, Smith publicly apologized to Rock in an emotional statement shared on Instagram. "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," he wrote, later explaining that though he's used to having jokes made about himself, hearing Rock joke about his wife's condition "was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally." Still, he said, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. 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 has not spoken out about the incident, but the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed to BAZAAR.com that he refused to file charges against Smith.
This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US