Chris Rock’s Oscars Joke: What He Said and Why It Was Offensive to Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith was offended by Chris Rock’s Oscars joke because she was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss and bald spots. Pinkett Smith shaved her hair last year, even showing fans the balding area on the top of her head in December. Rock joked that Pinkett Smith looked like she was ready to make a sequel to G.I. Jane, the 1997 Ridley Scott movie starring Demi Moore as the fictional first woman to train for a U.S. Navy special operations squad.

The situation started when Rock took the stage to present the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. Rock made a few jokes and turned his attention to Pinkett Smith and her husband, Will Smith, who were sitting just below the stage. “Jada, I love ya,” Rock said. “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it. All right?”

Smith’s first reaction was an uncomfortable laugh, but Pinkett Smith was unhappy. “That was a nice one!” Rock told the crowd, sensing that not everyone liked the joke. Smith then got up and walked to the stage, slapping the comedian. ABC censored much of what happened next, so American audiences were left puzzled by the scene until footage from international feeds surfaced on Twitter.

As Smith walked back to his seat, Rock was shaken. “Wow, wow… Will Smith just smacked the s— out of me,” Rock said. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth,” Smith yelled back. “Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” Rock said, which inspired Smith to curse at him again. “That was a… Greatest night in the history of television,” Rock said before catching his breath to finish his job as a presenter.

There was some speculation that the incident was staged, but Smith’s Best Actor acceptance speech confirmed it was not. “I want to apologize to the Academy; I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award,” Smith told the audience. “It’s not about winning an award for me; it’s about being able to shine a lot on all the people… and the entire cast and crew of King Richard and Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams! But, love will make you do crazy things.”

For years, Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, especially on her Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk. The Gotham star showed her completely shaved head and a thin, bald patch in December. “Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp, so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something,” Pinkett Smith captioned an Instagram video. “Me and this alopecia are going to be friends… period!”

Meanwhile, a close friend of Rock’s who attended the Oscars told TMZ the comedian did not know about Pinkett Smith’s struggle with alopecia. The sources said Smith and Rock have not spoken since the slap. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences also plans to investigate the incident.

“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” the organization said in a statement. “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct, and California law.”