Will Smith's Oscar Drama Shines A Light On Jada Pinkett Smith's Struggle With Hair Loss

The 2022 Oscars were filled with memorable moments, including Chris Rock making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.

Will Smith "smacked the sh*t" out of Rock in response to the joke, later going on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard.

Rock had compared Jada's look to Demi Moore's character in G.I. Jane, who sports a shaved head in the movie.

Pinkett Smith has said that she struggles with hair loss due to the condition alopecia, which impacts hair follicles and can cause patches of hair loss or even complete hair loss.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, alopecia occurs "when the body attacks its own hair follicles." This can cause hair loss anywhere on the body, according to the AAD.

Sometimes the hair grows back, sometimes it doesn't.

There are different types of alopecia, the main of which are: alopecia areata, in which the person experiences patchy baldness; alopecia totalis, in which the person loses all of the hair on their scalp, and alopecia universalis, in which the person loses all of the hair on their body.

Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia. "Me and this alopecia are going to be friends," she wrote in an Instagram post in December.

Pinkett Smith first announced her hair loss in 2018 on her series Red Table Talk.

"It was terrifying when it first started. You know I was in the shower one day and then just handfuls of hair, just in my hands and I was just like 'Oh my god, am I going bald?'" she said at the time.

"It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear. [...] That's why I cut my hair and why I continued to cut it," said Pinkett Smith.