(The Hill) — Jada Pinkett Smith is calling for “healing” in her first public statement since her husband, Will Smith, slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars.
“This is a season for healing,” the “Matrix Resurrections” actor wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “And I’m here for it,” the post to her more than 11 million followers said.
The brief message marked the first time Pinkett Smith, 50, spoke out since the altercation at the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday.
While introducing one of the night’s awards categories, Rock cracked a joke about Pinkett Smith.
“Jada, I love ya. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” Rock said, comparing Pinkett Smith’s bald head to the title character in the 1997 film starring Demi Moore.
Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair loss.
Smith took to the stage following the joke and struck Rock before returning to his seat.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth!” Smith, 53, yelled toward Rock.
The move triggered an avalanche of reactions, with some entertainers and high-profile figures defending Smith’s actions and others, including Rosie O’Donnell and Howard Stern, strongly condemning him for getting physical over a joke.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who also has alopecia, appeared to delete a Sunday tweet praising Smith for slapping Rock. On Monday she said she doesn’t “endorse violence in any form” but dubbed herself “Team Jada always.”
In a Monday night Instagram post, Smith apologized to the comedian, calling his actions “unacceptable and inexcusable.”