Will Smith vs. Chris Rock: Mavs Ex Charlie Villanueva on Alopecia Slap
The world was shook on Sunday night when longtime actor Will Smith went on stage at the Oscars and slapped host Chris Rock after being offended at a lack-of-hair joke directed at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, which is an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.
Although Rock is a comedian, and comedians typically get away with a lot of things they say, his joke was viewed by many as being distasteful. Former Dallas Mavericks forward Charlie Villanueva, who is now retired from the NBA, also suffers from alopecia. He decided to comment on what transpired at the Oscars.
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"Listen, I don't condone violence, and I understand comedians have no barriers to their jokes," tweeted Villanueva. "But words are powerful weapons and they hurt people. We should always be kind to one another, regardless. And hey, some people get what they ask for."
Later in the night, Smith won the Oscar for best actor with his performance in "King Richard," which is a movie about Richard Williams – the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Smith gave an emotional speech and apologized to the crowd for his actions. Villanueva then gave his response to Smith's speech and apology.
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"This is real life. We all have struggles," tweeted Villanueva. "We are all going through something. We are all human. It should be our job in life to help people realize how rare, special, and valuable each one of us really is. Let's seek to focus more on empowering each other more than anything else."
