Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley said she doesn’t support “violence in any form” after she praised Will Smith in a now-deleted tweet.
- Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife’s appearance.
- The two-term Massachusetts Democrat has been open about her personal experience with alopecia.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley on Monday took to Twitter to clarify a tweet she wrote on Sunday in which she seemingly thanked the actor Will Smith for defending his wife’s honor after he slapped the comedian Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
In what was arguably the most stunning moment in the Oscars telecast, the veteran actor approached the comedian onstage after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance. Pinkett Smith has been vocal about the challenges she’s faced in dealing with alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss.
Pressley, who’s also been open about her own personal struggles with alopecia, later deleted a tweet in which she seemingly endorsed Smith’s entanglement with Rock.
“Alopecia nation stand up! Thank you [Will Smith],” the Massachusetts Democrat wrote. “Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults.”
She added: “Women with baldies are for real men only. Boys need not apply.”
—Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) March 28, 2022
Insider’s Grace Panetta captured a screenshot of the tweet before it was taken down Sunday evening.
On Monday, Pressley said that she endorsed peaceful behavior and rejected any sort of violence.
“My life’s work has always been about trauma & healing,” she tweeted. “I’m a survivor — I don’t endorse violence in any form.”
—Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 28, 2022
Pressley then began a Twitter thread where she paid tribute to individuals living with alopecia.
“Let’s talk about what it’s like to live with #alopecia. The deeply vulnerable & difficult moments that our families see. Appreciation post for those who hold us down & support us when we’re at our lowest points. They see us, fully,” she wrote.
The altercation between Smith and Rock occurred after the comedian said he “can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2,” in a reference to the 1997 film in which actress Demi Moore sported a shaved head as she underwent training in a Navy SEALs-like special operations unit.
After Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock, the comedian responded by saying, “Oh, wow.”
Smith walked back to his seat and yelled back at the comedian: “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
The actor — who rose to fame as a rapper before starring on the 1990s NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and then catapulting to a highly successful film career — won his first Oscar on Sunday night for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams, in “King Richard.”
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