Soon after videos circulated of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, footage resurfaced of Will making fun of a bald man on a talk show.
Will Smith took part in one of the most memorable moments on television earlier this week when he slapped comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from Alopecia.
Of course, it wasn’t long after the infamous slap that the internet stumbled upon a clip of Will on The Arsenio Hall Show making fun of the bassist of The Posse, John B. Williams for being bald.
Rumours immediately spread that Williams also suffered from Alopecia, making out that Will was swimming in hypocrisy, but these claims have not been confirmed.
In the talk show clip in question, Will says: “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.”
After the audience pulls back a little Will quickly says: “Ah these are jokes, come on.”
“He gotta wax his head every morning.” Now this is a video of Will Smith saying a joke about someone with Alopecia.
One reason I love the internet, it never forgets. pic.twitter.com/4OGlgSrcjA
— Peter Okhide (@Peter_OKH) March 28, 2022
Just like Chris Rock, Will was well within his rights to make a joke while performing as a comedian, it’s kind of in the job description.
Will Smith after seeing Jada's reaction to Chris Rock's joke. pic.twitter.com/YefpeGUbw0
— PapaSultana 🐝 (@MclovinTubby) March 28, 2022
Although the claims that Williams, like Jada, has Alopecia cannot be confirmed, the slap has caused an onslaught of controversy. Judd Apatow, Kathy Griffin and even the Academy itself have condemned Will’s actions.
Meanwhile, Will has taken to Instagram to formally apologise for his actions, making a point to publicly reconcile with Chris Rock and the Academy.
View this post on Instagram
Will ended his statement by saying: “I am a work in progress.”
While assault is literally never cool, to put it lightly, it’s great to see a little personal growth.
