Ricky Gervais appeared to poke fun at the Oscars slap as he shared a joke from his sitcom The Office.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Will Smith, 53, slapped Chris Rock, 57, in reaction to a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night.
Now Gervais, 60, has caused a stir when he posted a clip from The Office of his character David Brent connecting alopecia to an unhappy home life.
“And she's got alopecia. So... not a happy homelife." pic.twitter.com/b1NYWWIncX
— David Brent Music (@DavidBrentMovie) March 28, 2022
His character Brent declared to his vexed employees in his typical blundering style: “I know someone who is an alcoholic and it is no laughing matter, particularly for his wife. And she’s got alopecia. So... not a happy homelife.”
The clip, from episode two in series two, was shared with no context from the writer amid the Oscars slap row.
Gervais has not directly addressed the Oscars slap, although he has liked a number of tweets on the incident.
Smith has since apologised to Rock as he admitted he “deeply regretted” his actions at the Academy Awards.
He wrote: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”
Previously, Pinkett-Smith, 50, has spoken about her struggles with alopecia in her award-winning Red Table Talk show.
