Jada Pinkett Smith is back at the red table.
Red Table Talk, Jada’s Facebook Watch show, returned on Wednesday with special guest Janelle Monáe. It was the first episode of the show following Will Smith’s Oscar slap on Chris Rock.
Red Table Talk season five premiered on Wednesday (April 20), the first episode since Will Smith punched Chris Rock in the face at the Academy Awards on March 27.
A title card with a statement from Jada Pinkett Smith came on television to begin the program, which included Janelle Monae as a guest.
In the episode’s opening, she took a moment to acknowledge “the season of healing.”
The note stated, “Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing,” a caption read across the screen at the top of the show.
“Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls,” the statement read. “Until then… the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guest.“
The caption ended with: “Thanks for joining us, Jada.”
The statement comes less than two weeks after the Academy banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars for the next ten years.
Will, who won an Oscar for his role in King Richard, rushed on stage during the ceremony in March and smacked Rock when the comedian made a joke about Jada’s shaved head, saying he couldn’t wait to see her in G.I. Jane 2.
Jada has been candid about her battle with alopecia, a disorder that has resulted in her hair loss. Monae also discussed how she overcame her anxieties of abandonment and recovered from the horrific effects of her father’s drug addiction in the first episode of Red Table Talk.
Will broke down in tears during his winning speech, which took place immediately after the slap:
“I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,” he said. “In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that’s OK.“
The following day, the actor expressed regret for his conduct. He posted on his official Instagram account.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive, My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”
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He continued, “Jokes at my expense are 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 are not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.“