Emergency podcast: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock / Alopecia

Doctor Vs Comedian

Due to the events occurring at the Oscars, Ali and Asif decided to record an emergency podcast. The guys recap the joke told by Chris Rock and the ensuing slap from Will Smith. Then Ali discusses various ‘defenses’ that have been given for Will Smith’s actions. Asif then takes a digression to discuss alopecia areata (16:11), the disease which Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffers from. Asif talks about how it is an autoimmune disease, goes over the presenting symptoms and discusses its treatment. Asif also discusses other types of hair loss which can occur in African American women. They then go back to talking about the Oscars and how the slapping incident detracted from other winners (25:43) including Ariana DeBose, Troy Katsur, Questlove, Jane Campion and CODA. They discuss Will Smith’s speech and the audience reaction to it. The guys discuss varied opinions on the slapping incident including talking about articles from Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Jemele Hill. They also talk about Will Smith’s apology to Chris Rock on Instagram and Denzel Washington’s statement to Will Smith (“At your highest moment be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you”). Asif then asks Ali why he thinks it was a slap and not a punch and the implications of this incident on stand up comedy.

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Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay

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Show Notes:

• Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing: https://kareem.substack.com/p/will-smith-did-a-bad-bad-thing?s=r
• The Two Americas Debating Will Smith and Chris Rock: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/two-americas-debating-will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-slap/629407/
• White outrage about Will Smith’s slap is rooted in anti-Blackness. It’s inequality in plain sight: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/29/white-outrage-about-will-smiths-slap-is-rooted-in-anti-blackness-its-inequality-in-plain-sight
• Jaden Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Cher & More React To Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock At The Oscars: https://etcanada.com/news/880389/jaden-smith-tiffany-haddish-cher-more-react-to-will-smith-slapping-chris-rock-at-the-oscars/
• Black women's hair: the main scalp dermatoses and aesthetic practices in women of African ethnicity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4560533/
• Alopecia Areata: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1069931-overview