The controversial moment between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards has drawn attention to alopecia. During the Oscars ceremony, Will Smith smacked Chris Rock for cracking a joke about his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. She suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Jada Pinkett Smith made her diagnosis public in 2018 in her Red Talk series. She said that when the alopecia started it was "terrifying" and also recalled how she used to find a "hand full of hair" while taking shower. She then debuted her shaved head in July 2021. Along with a set of pictures and videos, Jada Pinkett Smith wrote, "Willow made me do it because it was time to let go but…My 50's are bout to be divinely lit with this shed."
Jada Pinkett Smith keeps sharing motivational posts for her Instagram family. In December, last year, she had shared a video of her shaved head on Instagram and wrote, "Mama's gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period."
Well, Jada Pinkett Smith isn't the only actress who is suffering from alopecia. And, today we are going to take a look at the other celebrities who have come out in the open and spoken about this condition.
Viola Davis
Viola, who is known for her performance in How to Get Away With Murder, is one of the leading actresses who is suffering from this condition. During an interview with Chicago Defender,Viola Davis said she often wore wigs to hide her patchy hair loss.
Jesy Nelson
The singer and former X Factor contestant explained that she had started noticing her hair loss when she was in school. Jesy was about 13 when she started losing her hair. She added that stress can be one of reasons that causes alopecia, stated a BBC report.
Tyra Banks
The model and TV presenter of the series America's Next Top Model always looks perfect. But she has revealed that she suffered from alopecia, caused due to stress. During an interaction with the Wall Street Journal, she had said, "I got a little alopecia from the stress."
Ella Shaw
The singer has been actively spreading awareness about alopecia. She had also organised a charity concert to raise money for Alopecia UK. In her first TV interview, Ella had said, “It was quite a hard time, I lost all the hair off my head when I was in my last year of primary school."
Christina Milian
The actress experienced postpartum hair loss after her first two pregnancies. The condition was detected as alopecia. Sharing her experience with People magazine, she said, “It's a really disheartening experience. I had times where I wanted to cry because I wasn't sure if I'd ever have my hair grow back again."
Now, coming back to Will Smith's on-stage slap incident, the actor has apologised to Chris Rock. "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," he said.
