Jada Pinkett Smith promoted healing in an Instagram post on Tuesday, her first public comment since her husband slapped comedian Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
Will Smith unexpectedly strode onto the Oscars stage on Sunday and slapped Rock in the face in response to a joke about his wife’s bald head. Pinkett Smith, an actor and talk show host, has a medical condition that causes hair loss.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Pinkett Smith said:
“This is a season for healing. And I’m here for it.”
She did not mention Rock’s joke or the slapping incident specifically.
On Monday, Will Smith apologized to Rock, the film academy, the show’s producers and viewers, saying his behavior was unacceptable and he had “reacted emotionally” to a joke about his wife’s medical condition.
Rock had referenced the 1997 film “G.I. Jane” in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head. It was unclear whether Rock was aware that Pinkett Smith has a disease that causes hair loss.
Less than an hour after the attack on Rock, Smith was named best actor for his portrayal of the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.”
The 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned Smith’s actions on Monday and said it was reviewing the episode.
If the group determines Smith violated its standards of conduct, members could expel the actor from the organization, revoke his Oscar, or make him ineligible for future awards.
The academy must follow a process outlined in its conduct policy. The inquiry is expected to take a few weeks, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Rock has not publicly commented about the incident.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony was watched by an average of 16.6 million U.S. viewers on Walt Disney Co‘s ABC, according to updated ratings figures released on Tuesday. That was an increase of 58% from the historically small audience in 2021. But it was still the second-lowest viewership on record, part of an across-the-board decline in people watching live awards shows.
The night’s most-watched moment came when Troy Kotsur made history as the first deaf man to win an Oscar, winning the best supporting actor award for his role in “CODA.” The audience at that moment totaled close to 17.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen figures.
About 17.3 million were watching when Smith attacked Rock. The audience then dropped to 16.8 million but rose to 17.4 million when Smith gave a tearful speech as he accepted the best actor trophy.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los AngelesEditing by Matthew Lewis & Shri Navaratnam)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — New Zealand won the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time, beating South Africa by 32 runs on Sunday after a standout performance from Amelia Kerr with bat and ball.
South Africa’s chase was held to 126-9 in 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in reply to New Zealand’s 158-5 in the final of the 18-day tournament.
South Africa was also seeking to become a first-time champion.
After South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to bowl, Kerr top scored for New Zealand with a 38-ball 43. Brooke Halliday hit 38 runs in 28 deliveries and opener Suzie Bates scored 32 in 31. Nonkululeko Mlaba took 2-31 in four overs for South Africa.
South Africa made a strong start to its chase, reaching 51-1 in 6.5 overs but never really threatened afterward, reaching the halfway stage of its innings at 64-3.
Wolvaardt top scored for South Africa with a 27-ball 33.
Kerr took 3-24 in her four overs, including Wolvaardt’s wicket.
This was South Africa’s second straight final appearance in the tournament. Losing to Australia by 19 runs, it had finished runners-up in its home tournament in 2023, its best result in the tournament.
New Zealand, meanwhile, reached the tournament final for the first time since 2010. In the first two editions – 2009 and 2010 – it had lost to England by six wickets in London, and to Australia by three runs in Barbados.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday canceled his trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after an accident at home that left him with a cut in the neck, his office said.
The 78-year-old leader was scheduled to attend a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies in the city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
Hospital Sirio Libanês in Sao Paulo said in a statement that the leftist leader was instructed not to take long distance trips, but can keep his other activities. Doctors Roberto Kalil and Ana Heleno Germoglio said they will regularly check on Lula’s recovery.
Brazil’s presidency said in a separate statement that Lula will take part in the summit by videoconference and will continue his work in capital Brasilia this week. It did not disclose details about what caused the president’s injury.
