An alopecia sufferer who has been targeted with the same insult as Will Smith's wife has backed his explosive reaction - calling it "comforting". Hollywood legend Smith, 53, slapped Chris Rock, 57, at last night's awards ceremony over an ill-advised quip about his wife.
Rock, a famed stand-up comic, said Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, was set to make GI Jane 2 - referring to her hair condition. This prompted her husband, who later won the best actor award, to storm the stage and slap Rock - before shouting: "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth!"
Reality star ZaraLena Jackson, who also suffers from alopecia, has firmly backed Smith's actions. The Ex on the Beach contestant said that, although she does not condone violence, Rock should have "known better".
Zara, 29, said: "I think it's inappropriate to make any joke about someone with alopecia as its a condition that highly impacts mental health for that individual and isn't a laughing matter. "I heard Chris made a GI Jane comment, which I've had before myself. I saw Will's reaction and all I thought was, 'where can I get one of those?'.
"To be clear, I don't condone violence, but him defending Jada showed strength in my eyes and was very comforting to see a man stand by his woman when she has alopecia. Being a comedian is very tongue in cheek and we all dislike when jokes are targeted as us, regardless of the subject, but he should of anticipated that response naturally and known better."
ZaraLena, from Preston, Lancs., first appeared on MTV's Ex on the Beach in 2017, with long luscious locks before turning to Instagram as an influencer after leaving the show. But the model then saw huge clumps of hair falling out in 2020, and she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease alopecia.
Within six weeks, ZaraLena had no body hair and said hair loss felt like "torture" and made her feel "stripped" of her identity. Shockingly, she claims she has also been the victim of cruel jokes about her condition and believes she would feel appreciative if she had a partner that stood up for her as Smith did for his wife last night.
She said: "It totally depends on who has made the joke. I've had it all - I've had strangers say 'hey baldy' which doesn't phase me at all, I am bald. I've had friends and family joke about 'let your hair down' or ask to borrow a razor or shampoo, which I just laugh at because I know they mean no harm and it can be humorous to see them panic without thinking about the comment.
"I've had a few reference me with the GI Jane comment. I think GI Jane looks insane though so I wasn't offended. My mum actually walked in on me in my dressing room the other day without a wig and she went, 'oh wow Zara, you look like a GI Jane babe!'
"I guess any comments around my alopecia depends on who they come from and what context they're said in. I'm quite thick skinned around it now so not much can phase me personally any more.
"The worst snide comment for me is, 'oh wow, nothing is natural any more, is it?'. For me, I always liked the idea of natural beauty, and I'm not saying no hair isn't beautiful, but I now wear wigs and put on eyebrows to look 'normal' or 'natural'.
"I don't have a partner currently, but if I did and he defended me, I'd feel comforted and proud. I'd probably be a little annoyed about the violence, as it's not the way for dealing with confrontation, but alopecia has its way of making a person feel so alone, so having someone defend me at times when I'm targeted would be amazing.
"Will has clearly been with Jada throughout her hair loss journey and has seen first hand the impacts of how much hair loss can impact someone, so I can understand his anger towards anyone using that for humorous material in public. If alopecia was taken as a medical condition and not cosmetic, the subject wouldn't be joked around lightly.
"Everyone seems to make noise around the importance of mental health when a life is lost, yet won't put changes in place to prevent or support the initial cause, in my opinion."
