Jada Pinkett Smith makes first public appearance since Will Smith's Oscars slap

(From left) Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Shonda Rhimes, Debbie Allen and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the grand opening of the Shonda Rhimes Performing Arts Center on April 9, 2022, in Los Angeles. Photo: AP

Jada Pinkett Smith stunned at her first appearance since the Oscars on Saturday (April 9), sporting a show-stealing strapless, glittering gold gown at the opening of the Shonda Rhimes Performing Arts Center and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

It was her first time out since a post-Oscars party, after husband Will Smith strode up onstage to slap festivities host Chris Rock for a barb aimed at Smith’s wife.

Rock made a Pinkett Smith-directed jab at her shaven head, wrapped in a joke about a sequel to G.I. Jane, in which the protagonist played by Demi Moore shaves her head.

Pinkett Smith’s hair loss is not voluntary, however. It is due to alopecia, which causes a sufferer to lose their hair.

Pinkett Smith was seen chuckling at the slap as her husband made his way back to his seat. She later released an Instagram message saying: “This is a season for healing, and I’m for it,” her first comment after the slap.

The star attended the grand opening of the arts centre in Los Angeles, along with Samuel L. Jackson, choreographer Debbie Allen, and Rhimes herself. The academy is now housed in the performing arts centre, the school announced in a jubilant, dance-filled Instagram post. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service