Bill Maher Slammed After Dismissing Jada Pinkett Smith’s Alopecia, ‘There Are Worse Things’
Comedian Bill Maher faced backlash on Twitter over the weekend for seemingly downplaying Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia diagnosis after her husband, Will Smith, smacked Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars for joking about her shaved head.
On the Friday episode of Maher’s HBO talk show, the comedian commented on Pinkett’s condition throughout the night.
“I mean, alopecia, it’s not leukemia, OK?. Alopecia is when your hair falls out ... there are worse things,” he told the audience.
Maher went on to dismiss the severity of alopecia by comparing the illness to simply growing older. “If you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say ‘Thanks, God,’” he said. “It’s not life-threatening. It’s part of — for most people, 80 percent of men, 50 percent of women — it’s part of aging.”
“Aging is, trust me I know, it’s the degradation of the flesh. It happens to all of us,” he added.
Maher later suggested Pinkett should have put on a “wig like everybody else at the Oscars if it bothers you so much.”
By Saturday, Maher’s name was trending on Twitter, with many slamming the comedian for dismissing the hardships of someone struggling with an illness.
“You as a male should not be commenting on how a female should feel having alopecia! There is no comparison for a male and female being bald. What a very callous comment to make,” one person wrote.
Bill Maher is no longer capable of being insightful or funny, and he knows it. So he just trolls us these days, to try to get us all to hate-watch him, so his ratings will be high enough to keep him on the air. Want him canceled? Stop watching. And stop making him go viral.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) April 2, 2022
Bill Maher talks about toxic masculinity while being the exact example of what it is.
— Deb Lindenas 😷 💉x 4 (@deblindenas) March 26, 2022
I realize Bill Maher is a comedian but I wish he wouldn't downplay the seriousness of alopecia. He said 'just wear a wig & get on with your life,' but it's a condition that can be painful, both emotionally & physically. I know firsthand: I had it in college.
— Donna Halper (@DevorahLeah) April 2, 2022
Bill Maher is an idiot.https://t.co/lhTGOFkX4s
— Ivory (@ic_ivory) April 2, 2022
I still think Will Smith overreacted at The Oscars, but I will admit I'd be perfectly fine if he slapped Bill Maher.
— The Gospel According to Foust. (@RL_Foust) April 2, 2022
Just incredible (though sadly not surprising, especially from Bill Maher) how many people see a dispute between two men and instead focus their criticism at the Black woman bystanderhttps://t.co/YjU3ufeEJp
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) April 2, 2022
Bill Maher telling Jada Pinkett to get over herself for having alopecia and just slap on a wig because it’s not like it’s cancer, is just proof of how disrespected black women are.
— Jill Scotch (@VeruhWang) April 2, 2022
Another person slammed Maher for choosing to make Pinkett the target of his jokes even though she did not slap Rock.
“I think it’s funny how Bill Maher spends most of his time criticizing Jada Pinkett about alopecia. Jada Pinkett is not the one who walked up and slapped Chris Rock, her husband did! We don’t know if she took that personal or not. Jada Pinkett didn’t say anything about it,” the individual wrote.
Smith has since apologized to Rock for slapping him on stage after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett appearing in “G.I. Jane 2.”
On Friday, the actor announced he would be resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is prepared to “accept any and all consequences” for his conduct during the Oscars ceremony.
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