News & Insight

31st March 2022

‘I really feel the need to challenge the joke that Chris Rock made just now about my wife Jada’….

Photo Credit: Alopecia UK

All credit for the following article must go to Alopecia UK.

I really feel the need to challenge the joke that Chris Rock made just now about my wife Jada’….

An excellent and timely response from the calm and collected Alopecia UK drawing attention to their charity and the sufferings of the gorgeous Jada and many like her.

Amongst a longer statement they say:

‘We’re not in the business of writing Oscar speeches but perhaps Will could have grabbed the mic and said something like this…

“Apologies everyone for interrupting the proceedings but I really feel the need to challenge the joke that Chris Rock made just now about my wife Jada. The difference between Jada and Demi Moore, who shaved her head for the role of GI Jane years ago, is that my beautiful wife’s lack of hair is not entirely by choice. She has a medical condition called alopecia and she has chosen to embrace the baldness that brings rather than wear a wig as many women with alopecia do. There have been times when this condition has caused distress and anguish to my wife and, as a result, to me and my family.

I feel it is time that obvious jokes were not made about anyone’s appearance. In a society where it is unacceptable to make jokes about someone’s race, sexuality or disability, perhaps it’s time we extended that to include any visible difference. Yes, my wife is bald. But is that any reason to uninvitedly bring her into a joke when she is here, like anyone else, to simply enjoy the evening?

There is another reason for me to call out such a joke. All across the USA and the rest of the world, millions of children and teenagers are living with alopecia. Some of them are unfortunately having to deal with bullies who make jokes and jibes about their hair loss. This should not be happening in 2022 and yet it is. This month, tragically, a 12 year old girl with alopecia took her life because she felt she could no longer face the bullies who were making her life miserable. All because she looked different.

Chris, if I allowed your remark to go unchallenged, millions of people around the world would see it reinforced that it’s ok to make jokes about people with a visible difference that they cannot control. It is not ok and it’s time it stopped. Thank you.”

#alopeciauk #bekind #philanthropycompany

The original LinkedIn post from Caroline Underwood has been viewed over 153,000.