WASHINGTON — Jada Pinkett Smith has broken her silence following the shocking Oscars moment when her husband, Will Smith, slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage after he made a joke about her shaved head.
In an Instagram post Tuesday morning, Pinkett Smith did not directly mention the Sunday night confrontation but heavily alluded to the incident in a simple message that was just 11 words long.
"This is a season for healing and I'm here for it," she wrote.
Rock's joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which is due to her hair loss from alopecia, clearly upset the actress. Cameras caught her rolling her eyes just seconds after Rock made the joke at the 94th Academy Awards.
Will Smith then walked up on stage and slapped Rock across the face. Back in his seat, he twice shouted for Rock to “get my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.”
In an interview with ABC 6 in Philadelphia, Will Smith's mother said that she was surprised at her son's behavior during the awards ceremony but was so proud he won his first Oscar.
"That's the first time I've ever seen him go off," Carolyn Smith said. "First time in his lifetime... I've never seen him do that."
His sister, Ellen Smith, also told the Philadelphia TV station that she has constantly seen her brother shine under the Hollywood spotlight and thrive through the demanding work of his career.
"Everyone has been bullied and abused in some kind of way," Ellen Smith told ABC6. "It really broke my heart to listen to the things he said he had to go through to get to where he is."
During his acceptance speech for best actor, a tearful Smith apologized to the Academy for his actions earlier in the show, but also seemed to defend what he did and didn't mention Rock by name. On Monday evening, he issued a formal apology to the comedian, the Academy and viewers at home, saying he was “out of line” and that his actions are “not indicative of the man I want to be.”