Two members of “the Squad,” a group of left-leaning Congressional Democrats, reportedly deleted tweets praising actor Will Smith after he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage Sunday at the Academy Awards.
The altercation between the two celebrities occurred after Rock made a joke about the shaved head of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia.
“#Alopecia nation stand up! Thank you #WillSmith,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who announced she has alopecia in 2020, tweeted Sunday, according to Politico. “Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults.”
Yup! Screenshot here pic.twitter.com/JRxAjtZ4QT
— Benjamin Goggin (@BenjaminGoggin) March 28, 2022
“Women with baldies are for real men only…boys need not apply,” she wrote. (RELATED: ‘My Agent Called’: Viral Kamala Harris Space Video Featured Child Actors)
Rep. Jamaal Bowman reportedly tweeted that the incident was a “teachable moment” not to joke about the hair of black women, according to NBC News. Both of “the Squad” members’ tweets were subsequently deleted, with neither lawmaker providing a reason.
The American broadcast of the event cut the audio, but several foreign broadcasts stayed live, with Rock telling the audience that “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.”
Jamaal Bowman also briefly tweeted about Will Smith assaulting Chris Rock before deleting it pic.twitter.com/KLKXbI4o9E
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) March 28, 2022
“Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth,” Smith responded.
Smith went on to win the award for Best Actor for playing Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard, in the movie “King Richard.” He apologized to the Academy for the incident during his acceptance speech, but not to Rock.
Bowman and Pressley did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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