To comedian Chris Rock, his G.I. Jane comment targeting the unsuspecting actress Jada Pinkett Smith at this year’s Oscars was just a joke. But, beyond the dramatics of Will Smith’s reaction and the subsequent fallout, there was a whole community of people that were hurt by his reckless bullying. Pinkett Smith offered her Facebook show “Red Table Talk” as a platform for the alopecia community to inform others of the effects of the autoimmune disorder.
“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,” said Pinkett Smith. “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.”
Aside from the elephant in the room, Pinkett Smith introduced viewers to the heartbreaking story of 12-year-old Rio Allred, who long suffered with alopecia areata and eventually took her own life after being bullied for her condition. Her mother, Niki Ball, represented Rio on Red Table Talk, saying that they had tried everything to help Rio, including growth creams, injections, and hairpieces. None of these solutions resolved the issue and the hairpieces provoked more derogatory comments and jokes. Rio would take her young life on March 14.
Pinkett Smith also shared her own personal account of dealing with the condition, calling it “stressful.” To inform the masses, Meena Singh, an actual dermatologist and surgeon who performs hair transplants, further highlighted how many people are affected by alopecia and are looking for solutions.
In the midst of the serious conversation, the Girls Trip actress had a few words regarding the antics during what was supposed to be a magical night for her husband, who won an Academy Award for his pivotal role in the film King Richard. Pinkett Smith wants both Smith and Rock to bury the hatchet through a conversation.
Pinkett Smith continued, “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 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.”
Watch the episode of Red Table Talk at Facebook.
