Rep Ayanna Pressley clarifies tweet thanking Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

‘Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia,’ congresswoman said in now-deleted tweet

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has sought to clarify her comments in a tweet in which she thanked actor Will Smith for “defending his wife” after he struck comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards.

In an unprecedented moment at the Oscars, the Hollywood star walked up on the stage and smacked the comedian for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance.

Pinkett Smith announced last year that she had shaved her head after struggling with alopecia. She was seen rolling her eyes when Rock quipped, “Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you”, in a reference to her appearance — Demi Moore famously shaved her head for the 1997 film GI Jane.

After slapping Rock, Smith returned to his seat and screamed: “Keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth.”

Ms Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts who has been vocal about her own experience with alopecia, weighed in on the row in a now-deleted tweet in which she thanked Smith.

“Alopecia nation stand up! Thank you [Will Smith]. Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults,” she wrote, according to a screenshot of the tweet posted by Insider reporter Grace Panetta.

After deleting the original tweet, Ms Pressley posted a thread appearing to apologise for the remarks.

“My life’s work has always been about trauma & healing. I’m a survivor - I don’t endorse violence in any form,” she wrote on Monday morning.

She continued: “Let’s talk about what it’s like to live with #alopecia. The deeply vulnerable & difficult moments that our families see. Appreciation post for those who hold us down & support us when we’re at our lowest points. They see us, fully. #IYKYK.

“Our bodies are not public domain. They are not a line in a joke—especially when the transformation is not of our choosing. I’m a survivor of violence. I’m a proud Alopecian. The psychological toll we carry daily is real. Team Jada always. That’s that on that.”

Representative Jamaal Bowman also appeared to have deleted a tweet in which he called the incident a “teachable moment” to not “joke about a Black Woman’s hair”.

Democrat representative Ritchie Torres called out Rock’s “distasteful and disgusting” joke while criticising the assault on live television. “I found Chris Rock’s joke to be distasteful and disgusting. But there is no justification for a violent assault on live TV. None,” he wrote.

Smith, in a tearful acceptance speech after winning this year’s Best Actor award, apologised to the Academy, but not to Rock. “I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees,” he said.

A video shared by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg showed Smith being consoled by Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper, who reportedly asked him to “brush it off”.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles police department in a statement confirmed Rock had declined to press charges against the actor.

“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report,” the statement read.

Find the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. See the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony here, and read about the biggest talking points here.