DALLAS — It was the slap heard around the world: Hollywood A-list celebrity Will Smith walked on stage at the Oscars Sunday night and smacked award show co-host Chris Rock.
The shocking exchange began when Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. She has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social media platforms.
The viral moment spurred an official statement from LAPD, as well as commentary from celebrities and athletes, including a former Dallas Mavericks player.
Former NBA forward Charlie Villanueva chimed in on the viral Oscars moment, giving his take on the situation. Villanueva posted a video to Twitter giving support for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
"You have to be careful on how you address people, how you crack jokes on people, because you don't know what they're going through," Villanueva said.
Villanueva said Will Smith's reaction, in his opinion, was "only human."
"It's a man ... you know he chuckled at first, and I'm pretty sure he looked over at his wife and you could see the discomfort. You could see the pain. You have to react. So, he reacted," he added.
Watch the full video here:
Villanueva said in the video that he does not condone violence, but said "(Smith is) human and he reacted that way." He added that he was not surprised by Smith's actions.
"Just be careful about who you crack jokes on because you don't know the type of reaction you're going to get," Villanueva said.
Villanueva is no stranger to receiving hurtful comments about having alopecia. In 2010, Villanueva – who then played for the Detroit Pistons – said Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett called him a "cancer patient" during a game.
Garnett called the incident "a major miscommunication."
In a statement released after the game, Garnett said:
"My comment to Charlie Villanueva was in fact 'You are cancerous to your team and our league,'" Garnett said. "I would never be insensitive to the brave struggle that cancer patients endure. I have lost loved ones to this deadly disease and have a family member currently undergoing treatment. I would never say anything that distasteful. The game of life is far bigger than the game of basketball."
Still, Villanueva took to Twitter in 2010 saying that the comments hit close to home.
"I wouldn't even trip about that, but a cancer patient, I know way 2 many people who passed away from it, and I have a special place 4 those," the tweet read.
What is alopecia?
Alopecia, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, is a disease that develops when the body attacks its own hair follicles. This as a result can cause hair loss anywhere on the body.
Alopecia can not only affect hair growth but also nail growth. A sign of alopecia can often be expressed as a person may start to notice their nails aren't as strong, according to the AADA. Or you may notice dents, ridges and brittle nail structure.
Alopecia can begin at any age, most people develop it during their childhood or earlier teenage years, as reported by the AADA.
There are three types of Alopecia: What are they?
According to the AADA, there are three types of common forms of alopecia:
- Alopecia Areata: This form of alopecia can create bald patches anywhere on the body, including the scalp, beard area, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, inside your nose or ears.
- Alopecia Totalis: In this form of alopecia people tend to lose all hair on the scalp, so the scalp is completely bald.
- Alopecia Universalis: This is a more severe but rare form of hair loss. As a person with this form of alopecia loses all hair, leaving the entire body hairless.
Villanueva was diagnosed with alopecia universalis. Pinkett Smith was diagnosed with alopecia areata, according to her Red Table Talk with her mom and daughter Willow, CNN reported.
Signing off of his Twitter video, Villanueva said he hopes "alopecia wins." He clarified that he means he hopes the situation shined more awareness on alopecia.
"A message I've always said to anyone dealing with alopecia is 'make sure you have alopecia and alopecia doesn't have you'," Villanueva concluded.
