LOS ANGELES -- Oscars producer Will Packer said Los Angeles police were ready to arrest Will Smith after Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage.
"They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment," Packer said in a clip released by ABC News Thursday night of an interview he gave to "Good Morning America." "They said we will go get him. We are prepared. We're prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him. They were laying out the options."
But Packer said Rock was "very dismissive" of the idea.
"He was like, 'No, no, no, I'm fine," Packer said. "And even to the point where I said, 'Rock, let them finish.' The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, 'Would you like us to take any action?' And he said no."
The LAPD said in a statement after Sunday night's ceremony that they were aware of the incident, and that Rock had declined to file a police report. The department declined comment Thursday on Packer's interview, a longer version of which will air on Friday morning.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group's standards of conduct. Smith could be suspended, expelled or otherwise sanctioned.
The academy said in a statement that "Mr. Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television."
Without giving specifics, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, but refused to do so.
Smith strode from his front row seat on to the stage and slapped Rock after a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he was on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary.
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying "I was out of line and I was wrong."
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.
Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time, but only briefly, at the beginning of a standup show Wednesday night in Boston, where he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He said, "I'm still kind of processing what happened."
It's time to crown the new winner of Canada Reads!
After three days of debate, moderated by Ali Hassan, the panellists have eliminated three books from the competition. One of the remaining two at the table will become the winner of Canada Reads2022.
The two finalists,ScarboroughandFive Little Indians, share many similarities: they are both multi-voiced narratives, shifting from character to character, all connected to one another; the cities they are set in — Scarborough, Ont. and Vancouver — are their own characters; and both explore the power of community in overcoming systemic discrimination. As well, both novels are first-time books for their authors.
Panellist Malia Baker on the finale of Canada Reads 2022. (Jeremy Gilbert/CBC)
Hernandez, a playwright and screenwriter, said that she wrote Scarboroughas a "love letter" to her community — one that uplifted her when times were difficult. It tells the story of three young children in low-income families, their parents, trying their best to navigate systems and biases that work against them, and a teacher fighting against prejudice on behalf of her students.
"Seeing these characters convince themselves of hope and make themselves be seen is contagious," said Baker, an actor, during the debates.
"Scarboroughshows that if we band together as a community, we can create a system that shows truth and actually works for marginalized individuals."
WATCH | The book trailer for Scarborough
Book trailer: Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
9 days ago
Duration 1:13
Catherine Hernandez's novel will be championed by Malia Baker on Canada Reads 2022. 1:13
Good, who is also a lawyer, tells the story of residential school survivors and the tremendous odds they overcome to survive in Five Little Indians. All five characters are haunted by their time in school and face their trauma in very different ways, as they work toward establishing roots in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.
Both Good and her champion Allaire have relatives who were forced into residential schools. He praised the power of prose in Good's novel.
"Through her rich writing craft, Good shows that Indigenous people in Canada have suffered from residential schools individually, and as a community," said Allaire, a fashion journalist and author, during the debates.
WATCH | The book trailer for Five Little Indians
Book trailer: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
9 days ago
Duration 1:16
Michelle Good's novel will be championed by Christian Allaire on Canada Reads 2022. 1:16
Nearly two dozen people told the Times that Willis exhibited decline that required body doubles and abbreviated lines
Publishing date:
Mar 31, 2022 • 13 hours ago • 3 minute read • 31 Comments
Willis unexpectedly fired a gun twice on the wrong cue during the filming of 'Hard Kill' a co-star said.Photo by Vertical Entertainment
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Bruce Willis, who is retiring from acting due to cognitive difficulties brought on by aphasia, struggled with its symptoms during production, media reports say.
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Sources said the 67-year-old actor was exhibiting progressive signs of decline in recent years.
One insider told Page Six that Willis wore “earpieces, hearing things, for them to feed him the lines,” and “it was increasingly difficult to have him on screen.”
“Everybody knew, the cast and crew. His family has stepped in, they moved in to take care of him,” the person said.
Lala Kent, who played Willis’ daughter in the movie ‘Hard Kill’ in 2020, told LA Times he misfired a gun loaded with a blank on the wrong cue twice while filming.
“I’m supposed to think my life is about to end and then my dad steps in to save the day,” Kent told the paper, adding that her back was turned to the actor and he was supposed to utter a line that indicated she was supposed to duck before the shot went off.
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No one was injured, but one crew member said he remembered Kent looking shaken that day.
Another crew member said Willis “did fire the gun on the wrong line” but added that “we always made sure no one was in the line of fire when he was handling guns.”
Co-workers concerned about the action star’s health also described heartbreaking moments on set, including that Willis even asked crew members where he was while filming White Elephant in 2021.
“I know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, but why am I here?” two crew members recall him asking out loud.
Additionally, Willis, who would often be paid $2 million for two days of work, had his lines whittled down and filmed his parts within a few days, sources noted.
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One director said during the filming of “Out of Death” that he was tasked with compressing 25 pages of dialogue to one day of filming. Other directors described being alarmed by Willis’ mental state.
One director said he approached Willis’ handler to ask about his condition directly. “It was clear that he was not the Bruce I remembered,” Jesse Johnson said.
“They stated that he was happy to be there, but that it would be best if we could finish shooting him by lunch and let him go early,” Johnson said.
The ‘Die Hard’ hero has appeared in 22 movies in the past four years. Most of his action scenes, and especially ones that required choreographed gunfire, were done by a body double, the Times reports.
Willis’ family members yesterday announced his retirement due to an ongoing battle with aphasia, a disorder that affects the brain’s language centres and makes it difficult to communicate.
A statement from his family on Instagram read: “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.”
The letter was signed by Willis’s wife Emma, ex-wife Demi Moore and his children Rumer, 33, Scout, 30, Tallulah, 28, Mabel, 9, and Evelyn, 7.
Allaire successfully presented his case about why the 2020 novel Five Little Indians — a story about five survivors of Canada's residential school system who are struggling to heal from their trauma and rebuild their lives as adults — best fits the Canada Reads 2022 theme as the "One Book to Connect Us."
"Being a citizen of this country, we do have a duty to do these reparations, even if you didn't have a hand in it. I know a lot of people don't want to assume the guilt. It's not about that. It's about us coming together as a country to acknowledge this happened and helping us move forward altogether," Allaire said during the finale.
The runner-up was Scarborough by Toronto author Catherine Hernandez, a debut novel which tells a moving multi-voiced story about a Toronto neighbourhood that refuses to fall apart in the face of poverty and crime. The vibrant and emotional novel weaves together the stories of three children growing up in difficult circumstances with the stories of three adults who are doing their best to help them out. Scarborough was championed by Canadian actor and activist Malia Baker.
Malia Baker, championing Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez, and Christian Allaire, championing Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, are the final two on Canada Reads 2022. (Jeremy Gilbert/CBC)
"I am happy that everyone even had the willingness to read this book. I think that's been the main struggle as this history and this experience hasn't been taught. And so to hear all your debates and to approach them with such care...it's a very, very difficult subject, especially for me to talk about," Allaire said during the Canada Reads 2022 finale.
"I hope all Canadians open that up to that. I think a lot of Canadians struggle with reconciliation. They need something to do about it. You can read this book and the best thing you can do is just understand. That's an easy first step we can all take."
WATCH | The book trailer for Five Little Indians
Book trailer: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
8 days ago
Duration 1:16
Michelle Good's novel will be championed by Christian Allaire on Canada Reads 2022. 1:16
Allaire is an Ojibway writer from Nipissing First Nation. He is the fashion and style writer for Vogue and also the author of The Power of Style, a YA nonfiction book that highlights the need for diversity and representation in fashion — and examines topics such as cosplay, make up, hijabs, and hair to show the intersection of style, culture and social justice over the years.
During the debates, Allaire shared that he recognized his family and friends in the characters in Five Little Indians. He spoke about his grandma Leda, a residential school survivor who fought to keep Indigenous culture and traditions alive in her family.
"I've seen firsthand how residential schools have affected our communities. They've created a sense of distrust, anger, a loss of faith in those ruling this country. But also, I've seen our people rise above this trauma," said Allaire.
"My grandmother Leda, was a residential school survivor. She never spoke of her experiences, but I saw this as a sign of strength. A desire to not pass down her grief. She continued to encourage our family to practice spirituality and to embrace our cultural traditions, all things that residential schools tried to eliminate."
LISTEN | Get to know Five Little Indians
Canada Reads36:39Canada Reads 2022: Get to know Five Little Indians
In this introduction to the novel Five Little Indians, discover what the book is about and why Ojibway author and fashion writer Christian Allaire chose it for Canada Reads 2022. 36:39
Allaire was steadfast in his passionate support of Good's novel during Canada Reads 2022. He noted how, while all five of the contending books were well written and dealt with important issues, he believed that Five Little Indians was the one book that all Canadians should read.
Good is a member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. She holds an MFA and a law degree from the University of British Columbia and, as a lawyer, advocated for residential school survivors. Five Little Indians is her first book. CBC Books named her a writer to watch in 2020.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Wednesday said that WillSmith was asked to leave to Sunday's Oscar ceremony after hitting Chris Rock but refused to do so.
The academy’s board of governors met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. The academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.
Many have focused on why Smith was allowed to remain seated front row at the Academy Awards after the incident. On Wednesday, the academy suggested that it attempted to remove the actor from the audience.
“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the academy said. “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”
A representative for the academy declined to give specifics on how it tried to removed Smith. After Smith struck Rock in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, several stars including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry spoke with the 53-year-old Smith.
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18. The film academy earlier condemned Smith's onstage assault of Rock, but it used stronger language Wednesday.
“Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television," the academy said. “Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying “I was out of line and I was wrong.”
A representative for Smith didn't immediately respond to messages Wednesday regarding the academy's latest moves.
Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting after a diagnosis of aphasia, a condition that causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech, his family announced Wednesday.
In a statement posted on Willis's Instagram page, the 67-year-old actor's family said Willis was recently diagnosed with aphasia and that it is impacting his cognitive abilities.
"As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," read the statement signed by Willis's wife, Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five children, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
"We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him," they said. "As Bruce always says, 'Live it up,' and together we plan to do just that."
Aphasia typically occurs after a stroke or head injury, but can also develop gradually due to a slow-growing brain tumour or a disease that causes degenerative damage. It is treated primarily with speech therapy and learning non-verbal means of communication.
The news about Willis, one of Hollywood's most beloved actors, immediately spread online as fans reacted. The films he has made over a four-decade career have amassed more than $5 billion in box office worldwide.
Willis had been working steadily and frequently. He has shot numerous action thrillers that are due out in 2022, including Gasoline Alley, A Day to Die and Fortress: Sniper's Eye.
The Foo Fighters announced on Tuesday that their remaining tour dates will be cancelled, four days after the sudden death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
"It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins," the band said in a statement posted on social media. "We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned. Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together."
The band had planned an extensive tour in support of its 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, released last year. Dates were planned in Toronto and Montreal in July, while shows were scheduled in September and October in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Penticton, B.C.
The band had dates scheduled until just before Christmas, in Australia and New Zealand.
From left, Hawkins, Dave Grohl and Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters are shown at an event in New York City on Nov. 18, 2021. Hawkins, 50, joined the band in 1997. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)
Hawkins, 50, died on Friday in Bogota, Colombia, where the band was scheduled to play a large festival.
Colombia's Prosecutor's Office released a statement on Saturday saying preliminary results of toxicological tests on urine from Hawkins's body found 10 psychoactive substances and medicines, including marijuana, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines. It did not provide a cause of death and investigations are continuing.
Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, led by former Nirvana member Dave Grohl, and the band has become one of rock's best-selling acts. They were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, with their latest release taking the best rock album honours at the most recent Grammys.
Grohl and band members Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel and Rami Jaffee were seen returning to Los Angeles by private plane early Sunday.
WATCH | Rock world stunned by death of Taylor Hawkins:
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins dead at 50
3 days ago
Duration 3:25
Taylor Hawkins, for 25 years the drummer for Foo Fighters and best friend of frontman Dave Grohl, died during a South American tour with the rock band. He was 50. 3:25
Hawkins's death led to an outpouring of condolences from fans and music luminaries.
Prior to joining the group, he drummed for Canadian artists Alanis Morrissette and Sass Jordan, among others. He had a side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, and performed as a guest on releases from artists such as Elton John and Queen's Brian May.
He also appeared on screen in the 2013 motion picture CBGB, portraying punk icon Iggy Pop.
The Foo Fighters have cancelled all upcoming tour dates following the "staggering loss" of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
"It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins,” the band said in a statement Tuesday. "We’re sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won’t be seeing one another as planned.
"Instead, let’s take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we’ve made together," the group said.
The rock band was on the South American leg of their tour when Hawkins, 50, was found dead in a hotel room in Bogota, Colombia.
"The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever," the band said on social media. "Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."
The band was set to headline the first day of Montreal's famed Osheaga Festival on July 29. Dave Grohl and company were also set to play shows in Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver.
The circumstances of Hawkins' death remain largely unclear. The cause of death was not disclosed in a preliminary "forensic medical study" released Saturday by Colombia's Attorney General's Office, which said a urine toxicology test found 10 substances, including THC, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
'Not one person got up and said, 'Hold on, we got an out-of-control situation here,'' radio personality said
Publishing date:
Mar 29, 2022 • 5 hours ago • 4 minute read • 30 Comments
Radio personality Howard SternPhoto by Mario Tama /Getty Images
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Howard Stern thinks Will Smith’s attack on Chris Rock at Sunday night’s Academy Awards is a sign of “great mental illness.”
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“The joke, quite frankly, was beneath Chris Rock. It was a throwaway. ‘You look like G.I. Jane,'” Stern said on his long-running SiriusXM Show this week.
Initially observing how Smith seemed to laugh at Rock’s joke, in which he said Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, could try out for G.I. Jane II thanks to her shaved head, Stern said the actor’s overreaction showed signs that he might be unwell.
“This is a sign of great mental illness when you can’t control your impulse,” the shock jock said. “He didn’t think twice about what he was about to do. That’s crazy, when you can’t contain yourself like that.”
Stern went on to question why security didn’t get involved and why Smith was allowed to sit casually back in his seat.
“Here’s Hollywood that’s so outraged by every little thing. Not one person got up and said, ‘Hold on, we got an out-of-control situation here,'” he said. “How this guy was allowed to sit there for the rest of the awards, and he’s laughing it up and having a good time with his wife. He just assaulted Chris Rock.”
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Will Smith hits Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., March 27, 2022.Photo by BRIAN SNYDER /Reuters
The radio host then likened Smith, who went on to win the Best Actor Academy Award for playing Venus and Serena Williams’ dad Richard in the biopic King Richard, to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Not one person came out, because he’s Will Smith, this is how Trump gets away with s—,” he said. “Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he’s going to take matters into his own hands.”
Smith, he continued, wouldn’t have dared gotten up if it was a bigger actor that had made the perceived dig.
“If Jason Momoa would have made that joke, he would have sat there in his seat. He would have said, ‘Thank you for acknowledging my wife, Mr. Momoa.”
Stern also wondered why Smith wasn’t charged even though Rock declined to press charges. “We saw it on live TV with our own eyes,” he said.
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As seen during the broadcast, Smith slapped Rock after the comedian made a wisecrack about his wife’s bald head in an unscripted joke while presenting the award for Best Documentary.
“Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” he said referencing the 1997 film G.I. Jane in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head.
Pinkett Smith has been open about her battle with alopecia, which causes hair loss and balding. According to a TMZ report, Rock didn’t know she had alopecia when he made the remark.
Cameras flashed on Smith, smiling from his seat at Rock’s dig, while Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes and looked visibly unimpressed.
“Oh, wow! Wow! Will Smith just smacked the s— out of me,” Rock said as the audience laughed, thinking it was an act.
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But it soon became obvious that it wasn’t a pre-planned gag as Smith raged from his seat. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth,” he screamed repeatedly as the crowd inside the Dolby Theatre went quiet.
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” a startled Rock said as he tried to get the night back on track.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
During his acceptance speech later in the evening, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not Rock. But after the Academy announced it was launching a formal review on Monday, the 53-year-old actor was contrite on social media saying he “reacted emotionally.”
Stern wasn’t the only famous face to speak out against Smith after the Oscars slap. Former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell called Smith a “narcissistic madman,” while comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted, “Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”
Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian.
Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.
But Tiffany Haddish, who co-starred in 2017’s Girls Trip with Pinkett Smith, defended the Men in Black star.
“That meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives,” Haddish told PEOPLE at the Governors Ball following the ceremony.
Former Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman also tweeted his support, writing, “Don’t let anyone talk down to your family.”
So much respect for Will Smith. Don’t let anyone talk down on your family. Making jokes, about the auto-immune disease alopecia that Jada has been open about, should never be tolerated. Protect your people at all costs! đŁ
With calls for Smith to face some sort of discipline, the actor most likely won’t lose his Oscar, but he could face temporary suspension from the Academy, which means he won’t be eligible for another award next year.
There’s no doubt the most talked-about Oscars moment was when Will Smith climbed up on stage to slap presenter Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shorn head.
Smith stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage during Rock’s remarks after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife.
Rock said, “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.”
The joke touched a nerve, and following the slap, with Smith back in his seat, he twice shouted for Rock to “get my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth.” His words echoed clearly throughout the Dolby, though ABC cut the audio for about 15 seconds.
Within an hour, Smith won best actor. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy.
Jada Pinkett Smith attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Mike Coppoloa / Getty Images
But the joke, no matter how it was intended, or received, was based on Pinkett Smith’s alopecia diagnosis and many are crying foul at Rock for taking aim at a woman for a disease she can’t control.
Pinkett Smith disclosed four years ago that she has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that often causes hair loss as the body’s immune system attacks hair follicles on the scalp and face. There are different forms of alopecia, but the form Pinkett Smith has often causes patches of baldness on the scalp, as opposed to total baldness.
According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, approximately 40 per cent of women will be affected by some form of alopecia or hair thinning in their lifetime. And a peer-reviewed study published in 2018 found that Black women have a “significantly greater” chance of developing alopecia areata in their lifetime than white women.
And while there has been plenty of discourse and division around the Rock-Smith encounter, there has been an outpouring of support for Pinkett Smith.
Jada is a CURRENT inspiration for SO many people who live with the same or similar subcategory of her condition. To have someone famous try use her as the BUTT of his joke for clout is disgusting. Chris Rock should know better!
Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald. You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone? You don’t think she’s cried about that many times? 2022 y’all gon have to see these men about those jokes you made about their wives.
“A lot of people have been asking why I’ve been wearing turbans,” Pinkett Smith said in a 2018 episode of her Facebook talk show, Red Table Talk. “Well, I haven’t talked about it. It’s not easy to talk about, but I am going to talk about it.”
She recalled the “terrifying” moment when she first noticed she was losing “handfuls of hair” in the shower.
Jada Pinkett Smith attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
“I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?’” Pinkett Smith said.
“It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear,” she shared. “That’s why I cut my hair and continue to cut it.”
Kenney defends Will Smith slap meme as making a point about green energy policies, Russian oil
Smith has shown his support for his wife and her hair loss over the years. In 2018 he posted a video showing off her shorter hairstyle she had cut when she began losing lots of hair.
“I love her new cut, I had to show y’all,” he captioned the video.
Pinkett Smith has more recently addressed her condition, too.
In an Instagram post last December, she said she was going to have her hair taken “down to the scalp so nobody thinks (I) got brain surgery or something,” while showing off a new area of hair loss that was going to be “more difficult to hide.”
“Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!” she captioned the video.
It’s unclear if Rock knew about Pinkett Smith’s condition when he make the joke during Sunday night’s ceremony, but plenty of people said he should have known better, especially considering how the comedian produced, co-wrote, and narrated a documentary about Black women’s sometimes-fraught relationship with their hair.
chris rock made an entire documentary about the cultural stuff on Black hair and it’s disappointing to see him go from that to doing ricky gervais style bits about the same subject
Going to add one thing for all the “Chris Rock didn’t know” folks. Black women’s hair is a THING. It’s been scrutinized, mocked, shamed, hell Chris Rock himself made a documentary about it. Even if he didn’t *know*, he knew that joke was out of bounds. https://t.co/4N8NPxfX2P
The Los Angeles Police Department has released a statement about the televised slap, sharing that Rock had not pressed charges.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” a representative for the LAPD said.
“The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
