Will Smith Cracks Bald Joke in Video That Resurfaced After Chris Rock Slap

In the wake of Will Smith’s Oscar slap of Chris Rock for a joke about his wife’s bald head, a video of Smith making a similar wisecrack has emerged. When the star appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1991, he made a similar joke about John B. Williams, the bassist for The Posse, the show’s house band. 

The video clip posted to Twitter shows Smith describing Williams’ special hair care rules. “Like, he has a rule—the bass player? He’s got a rule: He’s gotta wax his head every day. That’s a rule!” Smith said as Williams laughed along with the audience. While the video comment indicates Smith made the joke “about someone with alopecia,” Williams has not revealed whether he has the disease. 

View on X

Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, has been open about her struggles with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. In a September 2021 episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith, who had shaved her head the previous July, shared that a desire for a “kind of expression and release” prompted the decision. The cut gave her a sense of “freedom,” making her feel closer to herself and “the Great Divine.” She said, “It was a huge relief. It was that moment, I was just like, ‘I’m done. I’m done with the worry, I’m done with the care. I’m just done.’”  

Pinkett Smith also released a TikTok video on her official account a few days before the Oscars, in which she talked about how she had come to accept her hair and ignore the opinions of others. “Being a Black woman and dealing with hair in Hollywood…..I always had to do my hair in ways that didn’t feel natural to me because of trying to play the game. She added, “So I had to learn to get the courage to go, ‘Nah I’m not doing it,’ which is why I feel the freedom today – I don’t give two craps what people feel about this bald head of mine. Because guess what? I love it.” 

On Sunday’s Oscar broadcast, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head while presenting an award. “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” he said, referring to a 1997 film during which Demi Moore shaved her head after joining the military. Smith initially laughed at the joke but suddenly strode onstage and slapped Rock, only to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard a few minutes later. Smith has since formally apologized to Rock on social media, calling his actions “unacceptable and inexcusable.”