Just what we needed- Another unfunny man swerving out of his lane to disrespect this Black woman.
Source: Arturo Holmes / Getty
Like most overrated and outdated comedians this week, TMZ reports Bill Maher weighed in on the slap at the Oscars with the laziest possible jokes just to bash Jada Pinkett Smith on the Friday night episode of Real Time. Although Maher had to Google “alopecia” after the incident last week, he thinks he’s enough of an expert to tell a Black woman how to publicly handle the disease. The HBO host told Jada to get over the autoimmune disease that caused her uncontrolled hair loss because it’s “not leukemia,” another autoimmune disease.
“I mean, if you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say thanks, God. It’s not life-threatening. You know, for 80 percent of men, 50 percent of it’s part of aging,” Maher said. “Trust me, I know, it’s the degradation of the flesh. It happens to all of us. And, you know, just put on a f*cking wig like everybody else at the Oscars if it bothers you so much.”
Bill must have forgotten that after centuries in this country, Black women are still fighting to legally protect their hair texture and styles from discrimination with laws like the CROWN Act. Instead, he sounds just like the 189 House Republicans who voted to keep that kind of racism legal. Bill tried to soften the blow of his alabaster audacity by conflating Jada’s health condition he just learned about last week to his experience of aging in the public eye.
“I mean, we all as we age, you know, we look worse. And you do things to deal with it as best you can. You know, I got my hair did this week. That’s my thing.”
CNN’s Laura Coates explained the double standards for women and how hair is a unique issue for Black women, but then went on to say it was arrogant to assume other people would know about Jada’s alopecia. Come on, Laura! Is it “Oochie Wally” or is it “One Mic?” Are Black women constantly under too much scrutiny for our hair or are the Smiths arrogant for being offended that Jada’s condition could’ve been mocked unknowingly?
All Jada did was show up to an event and everyone felt like it was open season on her and her condition. Not only has Jada not received a public apology for the public disrespect, but hacks are calling her a “b*tch” to defend their right to be offensive comedians without any consequences. If comedy is such a sacred art form that needs to be protected at all costs, why aren’t these so-called comedians better at it?
Since 2018, Jada has publicly discussed her battle with alopecia, which can manifest with other autoimmune issues.
“It was terrifying when it first started,” she said on an episode of Red Table Talk. “I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?’
Laughing off this kind of habitual line-stepping is why a White man like Maher thinks it’s sweet to throw around the N-word. Are we surprised this is the same man accused of abusing his Black ex-girlfriend while using the N-word regularly? This is the last person who should weigh on how Black women should respond to disrespect.