By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Jada Pinkett Smith promoted healing in an Instagram post on Tuesday, her first public comment since her husband slapped comedian Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
Will Smith unexpectedly strode onto the Oscars stage on Sunday and slapped Rock in the face in response to a joke about his wife’s bald head. Pinkett Smith, an actor and talk show host, has a medical condition that causes hair loss.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Pinkett Smith said:
“This is a season for healing. And I’m here for it.”
She did not mention Rock’s joke or the slapping incident specifically.
On Monday, Will Smith apologized to Rock, the film academy, the show’s producers and viewers, saying his behavior was unacceptable and he had “reacted emotionally” to a joke about his wife’s medical condition.
Rock had referenced the 1997 film “G.I. Jane” in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head. It was unclear whether Rock was aware that Smith’s wife has a disease that causes hair loss.
Less than an hour after the attack on Rock, Smith was named best actor for his portrayal of the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.”
The 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned Smith’s actions on Monday and said it was reviewing the matter.
If the group determines Smith violated its standards of conduct, members could expel the actor from the organization, revoke his Oscar, or make him ineligible for future awards.
Rock has not publicly commented about the incident.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
