Jada Pinkett Smith kicked off the new season of 'Red Table Talk' with a message.
Red Table Talk made its official return with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris on Wednesday. Prior to the start of the episode, the incident involving Pinkett Smith's husband, Will Smith, and Chris Rock, at the 94th annual Academy Awards was addressed.
“Considering all that has happened in that last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing...some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls,” a message at the top of the episode read. “Until then, the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guest. Thanks for joining us, Jada.”
The statement is the first time that Pinkett Smith has directly addressed the incident involving her husband. On March 27, the King Richard star walked onstage and slapped Rock in the face -- following the comedian’s joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
Two days after the incident, the 50-year-old actress had a message for her fans, which she shared on her Instagram. "This is a season for healing," her post read, "and I'm here for it."
In the following weeks, Smith stepped down as a member of the Academy, apologized to Rock and was banned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from attending any ceremonies or events, virtually or in-person, for a period of 10 years. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Oscars incident, the producers of the upcoming Tony Awards issued a message on Wednesday to all attendees of this year’s ceremony that violence will not be tolerated.
Other than the statement at the beginning of Wednesday’s Red Table Talk, the episode did not address the incident further. Rather, the show centered on guest Janelle Monáe’s journey and path to living her authentic life after coming out at the age of 32. She was joined by her mother, Janice Hawthorne.
Season 5 of Red Table Talk will also feature appearances by Ireland Baldwin and her mother, Kim Basinger; the mother of the late Miss USA Cheslie Kryst; and Willow, Trey and Jaden Smith, who will host together for their first solo appearance.
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