London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026

Jada Pinkett Smith breaks silence on Oscars slap

Jada Pinkett Smith breaks silence on Oscars slap

Jada Pinkett Smith has broken her silence after the outcry over her husband slapping Chris Rock for making a joke at her expense.
In a brief post to Instagram, the actress wrote of a "season for healing" in apparent reference to the Oscars incident.

Her husband, Will Smith, was condemned by the awards organisers for hitting Rock.

He apologised on Monday, calling violence "poisonous and destructive".

The incident Sunday night happened just before Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor, when the comedian Rock was on stage to present the award for Best Documentary.

He made a quip about Pinkett Smith's shaved head, a result of the hair-loss condition alopecia.

Pinkett Smith did not comment amid the furore and public debate that ensued over the merits of Rock's joke and Smith's actions until Tuesday, posting to Instagram: "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it".

Rock has yet to comment publicly on what happened at the Oscars or Smith's apology.

However, tickets for his upcoming comedy shows have reportedly skyrocketed in Sunday's aftermath.

One live event ticketing site, TickPick, said on Monday that it sold more tickets the previous night than it did in the past month combined.

A spokesperson also told CBS that prices for an upcoming Rock show on Wednesday in Boston rose from $46 (£35.16) to $411 (£314).

More than half of all ticket sales for Rock's tour - which went on sale a month ago - came after the incident at the Oscars. The vast majority - 88% - of ticket sales for Rock's shows on the website over the last week came after the incident.

Shortly after the on-stage blow, Smith won his first ever Oscar for his portrayal of Richard William, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

Smith referred to Mr Williams in his tearful acceptance speech, calling him a "fierce defender of his family".

On Monday, Mr Williams condemned Smith and expressed surprise that the incident had taken place.

"We don't know all the details of what happened," he told NBC through his son, Chavoita LeSane. "But we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self defence."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
Bayeux Tapestry Draws Large Crowds at British Museum
Cuts to International Aid Raise Concerns Over Fragile Overseas Health Systems
UK Airlines and Logistics Operators Adjust Capacity as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Mortgage Arrears Edge Lower in Second Quarter
UK Government Advances New Devolution Offers for English Councils
UK Parliament Begins Debate on NHS Governance and Single Patient Record Reforms
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North Devolution Initiative
UK Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
UK Bans Goods From Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Technology Services Strengthen
Metropolitan Police Continue Investigation Into Reform UK Political Financing
Chinese Crypto Entrepreneur Leon Li Identified as Seller of £190 Million London Mansion
Trades Union Congress Proposes Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Surcharge
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for State Pension Triple Lock to Be Scrapped
Anthropic Says Claude Helped Disrupt Biological Weapons and Cyber Espionage Threats
UK Imposes Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements and West Bank Violence
UK Reimposes Sectoral Sanctions on Iran’s Aviation, Shipping and Energy Networks
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as AI and Programming Services Lift Activity
×