Jada Pinkett Smith sort of addresses Will Smith’s Oscars slap in the premiere episode of Red Table Talk.
The Facebook series, which has returned for its fifth season, began with a statement addressing the now infamous slap.
Jada and Will’s relationship has been under increased scrutiny since the King Richard actor slapped Chris Rock on the face after making a joke comparing his wife’s haircut to G.I. Jane.
Smith, who went on to win his first Oscar for Best Actor later that same night, was punished by the Academy after he announced his resignation.
Jada Smith’s statement on the Oscar slap
In the premiere episode of Red Table Talk Season 5, Jada released a statement before the episode began, writing the following:
“Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focused on deep healing,” a title card stated at the beginning of the episode before teasing to address the controversy in the future:
“Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls. Until then… the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guest.”
The episode then began with Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter, Willow Smith, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris.
The premiere, titled: Janelle Monáe’s Hidden Struggles, featured Janelle Monáe, who discussed her new book, The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, and spoke about why she decided to come out later in life.
Willow Smith also admitted she is a superfan of the singer during the episode.
The episode appeared to be pre-recorded before the Oscar’s slap, as the incident was not addressed.
Chris Rock compared Pinkett Smith hairstyle to Demi Moore’s character “G.I. Jane during the Oscars ceremony.”
Will Smith, who laughed at the joke, then walked on the stage and slapped Rock.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!” Smith then shouted — twice — after returning to his seat.
A visibly stunned Rock continued with his presentation, making jokes about the slap. Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in the movie, King Richard, not long after the shocking moment.
Janelle Monáe confirms she’s nonbinary on Red Table Talk
Singer and actress Janelle Monáe officially confirmed that she is nonbinary during the Red Table Talk episode.
In January 2020, she tweeted the hashtag #IAmNonbinary, which led some fans to assume she had come out.
However, in an interview with Roxane Gay, she later clarified that she was tweeting support for Nonbinary Day.
In a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, Janelle identified as pansexual after previously considering herself bisexual.