Jada Pinkett Smith has said her “deepest hope” is that her husband Will Smith and Chris Rock have the opportunity to “reconcile” after their altercation at the Oscars.
The actress, 50, has spoken for the first time after her husband slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about her short haircut at the Oscars in March.
During the latest episode of her Red Table Talk show, she opened up about how her shorter hair is the result of alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss.
Pinkett Smith said at the beginning of the episode: “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 what alopecia actually is.”
She added that she hopes Smith, 53, whom she met in 1994, can eventually “talk it out” with Rock.
Pinkett Smith said: “Now about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile.
“The state of the world today, we need them both. And we actually all 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.”
‘I reacted emotionally’
Smith was widely criticised for slapping Rock shortly before he won an Oscar for best actor for his role in the biopic King Richard.
He later resigned from the Academy and was later banned from attending all Academy events for the next 10 years.
Smith also shared a statement on Instagram where he apologised for his “unacceptable and inexcusable” behaviour at the event.
“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,” he said.
However, Pinkett Smith said in her show that she wanted to turn the Oscars incident into a teachable moment as she explored how alopecia affects millions of people and the “shame” that surrounds it.
Alongside her daughter, Willow Smith, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, they discussed what the condition is and how it can affect peoples’ lives.
Describing her experience, Pinkett Smith said: “I think the part that makes it most difficult for me is that it comes and goes.
“You’re going through a spell of something, and you got to shave your head.”
They also spoke to guests including the mother of a 12-year-old girl, Rio Allred.
She was bullied over her hair loss and killed herself.