Jada Pinkett Smith Walks Red Carpet Alone In First Appearance Since Will’s Oscars Slap

Jada Pinkett Smith walked the red carpet with a smile this weekend, marking her first public appearance since her husband, Will Smith, was banned from the Oscars.

The Bad Moms actress joined friends Shonda Rhimes and Debbie Allen Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of the Rhimes Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, where the Debbie Allen Dance Academy will soon be based. According to Broadway World, the Smiths (who’ve long been supporters of the performing arts) have a studio named after them inside the centre.

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To the event, Pinkett Smith wore a glittery gold strapless gown that fell all the way down to the carpet. She paired the dress with gold earrings and matching heels.

The star shared a photo of the outing on Instagram. ‘Big shout out to @shondarhimes for helping the dreams of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy become a reality. #DADA 📷: @matthewbaronphoto,’ she wrote in the caption.

The actress has stayed silent on social media and out of the spotlight since her appearance with Smith at the 94th Academy Awards late last month. At the awards show, Smith—who won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the film King Richard—reacted aggressively to a joke presenter Chris Rock made about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head (a result of her alopecia) and walked onto the stage to slap the comedian. Once he was back in his seat, next to his wife, Smith also yelled at Rock, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth.’

Smith apologised for his actions in his acceptance speech, on social media, and later in a statement directed at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Still, the Academy decided to suspend him from the Oscars—and all Academy events—for the next 10 years.

Pinkett Smith seemingly broke her silence on the slap in an Instagram post days after the Oscars. The Red Table Talk host shared a quote that read, ‘This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.’ Though she didn’t offer any context in the caption, she really didn’t need to.