Just what we needed- Another unfunny man swerving out of his lane to disrespect this Black woman.
Like most overrated and outdated comedians this week, TMZ reports Bill Maher weighed in on the slap at the Oscars with the laziest possible jokes just to bash Jada Pinkett Smith on the Friday night episode of Real Time. Although Maher had to Google “alopecia” after the incident last week, he thinks he’s enough of an expert to tell a Black woman how to publicly handle the disease. The HBO host told Jada to get over the autoimmune disease that caused her uncontrolled hair loss because it’s “not leukemia,” another autoimmune disease.
“I mean, if you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say thanks, God. It’s not life-threatening. You know, for 80 percent of men, 50 percent of it’s part of aging,” Maher said. “Trust me, I know, it’s the degradation of the flesh. It happens to all of us. And, you know, just put on a f*cking wig like everybody else at the Oscars if it bothers you so much.”
Bill must have forgotten that after centuries in this country, Black women are still fighting to legally protect their hair texture and styles from discrimination with laws like the CROWN Act. Instead, he sounds just like the 189 House Republicans who voted to keep that kind of racism legal. Bill tried to soften the blow of his alabaster audacity by conflating Jada’s health condition he just learned about last week to his experience of aging in the public eye.
“I mean, we all as we age, you know, we look worse. And you do things to deal with it as best you can. You know, I got my hair did this week. That’s my thing.”
CNN’s Laura Coates explained the double standards for women and how hair is a unique issue for Black women, but then went on to say it was arrogant to assume other people would know about Jada’s alopecia. Come on, Laura! Is it “Oochie Wally” or is it “One Mic?” Are Black women constantly under too much scrutiny for our hair or are the Smiths arrogant for being offended that Jada’s condition could’ve been mocked unknowingly?
All Jada did was show up to an event and everyone felt like it was open season on her and her condition. Not only has Jada not received a public apology for the public disrespect, but hacks are calling her a “b*tch” to defend their right to be offensive comedians without any consequences. If comedy is such a sacred art form that needs to be protected at all costs, why aren’t these so-called comedians better at it?
Since 2018, Jada has publicly discussed her battle with alopecia, which can manifest with other autoimmune issues.
“It was terrifying when it first started,” she said on an episode of Red Table Talk. “I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?’
Laughing off this kind of habitual line-stepping is why a White man like Maher thinks it’s sweet to throw around the N-word. Are we surprised this is the same man accused of abusing his Black ex-girlfriend while using the N-word regularly? This is the last person who should weigh on how Black women should respond to disrespect.
While Chris Rock is out here taking slaps from Will Smith, the Philly native is taking a big slap from Netflix.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix quietly backs away from Will Smith’s film ‘Fast and Loose.’ One week prior to the Oscar ceremony, director David Leitch withdrew as the director of the film.
He transitioned out of that role and moved onto Fall Guy as director, starring Ryan Gosling, for Universal, which is supposed to start production in August.
A source says Netflix was competing with Universal to be the next project for Leitch, but Universal pulled ahead. Shortly after Leitch made his decision, Netflix put out an urgent call for another director to take over the film featuring the star who was heavily favored to win best actor at the Oscars.
Netflix couldn’t have imagined how the Oscars night would’ve unfolded and sure enough regretted that urgent statement. Not long after Smith’s attack on Chris Rock at the Oscars stage, Netflix quietly moved the project to the back burner.
Fast and Loose had plans to tell the story of a crime boss who loses his memory after an attack. After waking up in Tijuana he pieces clues together and soon he discovers that he has led a double identity as a wealthy kingpin and a broke CIA agent.
Sounds like an interesting project but it appears that Netflix was understandably wary of moving forward. The question is will Netflix try to make the project with another star and director? Only time will tell.
As for Oscar winner, Will Smith, he now has Apple+’s slave escape drama Emancipation in post-production. The streamer had planned a 2022 debut but has not dated its release.
Otherwise, Bad Boys 4 at Sony had been in active development — Smith received 40 pages of the script prior to the Oscars — but will now pause, a per The Hollywood Reporter. A few other projects in pre-production are likely to do the same. Netflix and Apple have not released a statement yet.