"Get my wife's name out of your f****** mouth" screamed Will Smith to Chris Rock in one of the most awkward moments in Oscars history. Video / TVNZ
New Zealand model Anna Reeve lives with alopecia, the condition at the centre of the quip made about Jada Pinkett Smith during yesterday's Oscars ceremony. Reeve reveals the incident has been particularly triggering due to a recent tragedy in the alopecia community.
It was the live television moment that shocked the entertainment world: When Oscars presenter Chris Rock told Pinkett Smith "I can't wait to see you in G.I. Jane II", referring to her bald appearance, and received a slap to the face by an enraged Will Smith in response.
While no one is condoning Smith's actions - the Academy has met over whether Smith should be stripped of the Best Actor award he was anointed with shortly after the assault - Rock's comment has been particularly distressing for those who, like Pinkett Smith, suffer from alopecia, the condition behind the actress' no-hair look.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith on the red carpet before the Oscars ceremony where Smith slapped Chris Rock over a comment about Pinkett Smith's hair. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand model and former TV presenter Reeve has lived with alopecia universalis (full body hair loss) since she was 7. Today she has shared on her Instagram that the incident is "hugely triggering for the alopecia community" and reveals a 12-year-old (who lived overseas) was lost to suicide "due to bullying around her alopecia and physical appearance a few weeks ago. There is so much to unpack."
Anna Reeve developed alopecia aged 7. She went on to have a successful career as a model. Photo / Getty Images
Reeve's post also noted she and her husband, radio host Jay Reeve, are battling Covid and she "can't string coherent thoughts together properly right now" so is declining talking to media.
The Herald spoke to Nicola Topping, a fellow alopecia sufferer and one of a group of Kiwis who set up the NZ Alopecia Charity Foundation last year.
Topping reiterates while the foundation doesn't condone violence she says Smith's obvious intention to support his wife on her alopecia journey "is amazing. The more support alopecians have the more we feel like we can cope with having it. Alopecians get bullied in schools and workplaces."
Topping, who developed alopecia 10 years ago due to the stress of workplace bullying, her mother's brain tumour diagnosis and her sister being hit by a car, says the condition comes packed with emotions and mental challenges to overcome.
"Whether it's 'Am I beautiful? Worthy?' Then we get all the questions like, 'How is the cancer treatment going?'"
There is no cure for alopecia, classified as an autoimmune disorder, and Topping says the foundation supports people from as young as 1 to those in their 80s who develop the condition.
The foundation organises conferences every other year for New Zealanders with alopecia to "get together and catch up, learn new things but most of all support each other.
"Our goal is to be able to get information packs set up for doctors, specialists, hairdressers and to host kids' camps, once we get enough funding behind us to do so."
And while no further comment has been made by Rock, Smith has issued a lengthy apology for his actions. But not before he partied into the wee hours and danced to his own music at the Vanity Fair after-party and posted a picture of himself and Pinkett Smith on his Instagram with the caption: Dressed to choose chaos.
The actor later posted to his Instagram account: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
He called his actions toward Rock "wrong" and admitted he was out of line.
The moment Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage and slapped presenter and comedian Chris Rock over comments made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Photo / Getty Images
"I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
Smith also issued an apology to the Academy and the Williams family, the inspiration for Smith's Oscar-winning film, "King Richard".
"I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologise to the Williams family and my King Richard family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
