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"Welcome home, Harold": Iconic Neighbours actor returns to Ramsay Street

<p>More than 15 years after his departure, Harold Bishop is returning to Ramsay Street. </p> <p>Ian Smith's character has long been a fan favourite on <em>Neighbours</em>, after originally starring on the soap between 1987 and 1991, before he returned in 1996 until his departure in 2009. </p> <p>Since then, Harold has made multiple guest appearances, including in the 2022 finale.</p> <p>When Amazon picked up the Aussie show, Smith rejoined the cast for a short time but quickly left after a health scare.</p> <p>But now, Harold is making another comeback. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5fVoAlvJEJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5fVoAlvJEJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Neighbours (@neighbours)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The official <em>Neighbours</em> Instagram shared the exciting news of his return, writing, “After 15 years of living away, the legendary Harold Bishop is returning to Erinsborough."</p> <p>“We are thrilled to welcome Ian Smith back to the show and the opening titles, where he belongs.”</p> <p>Fan were quick to flood the comment section with excitable messages, rejoicing in the fact that a fan favourite character was returning. </p> <p>“The best news. The show misses an elder character like Harold,” one person wrote.</p> <p>Another commented, “Absolutely amazing news to wake up too. Welcome home, Harold.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / YouTube </em></p>

"His worst moment as a person": Sean Penn unleashes on Will Smith's Oscar's slap

<p>Sean Penn has become visibly angry as he recalled the infamous moment at the 2022 Oscars ceremony when Will Smith stormed the stage to slap Chris Rock. </p> <p>Penn recalled the award ceremony moment as he reflected on the Academy's decision to not let Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speak at the ceremony. </p> <p>The actor has been a strong advocate for the people of Ukraine in their ongoing war against Russia, and even traveling to the war-torn region to help in their fight. </p> <p>Speaking to <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/sean-penn-slams-will-smith-slap-ai-oscars-1235720417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Variety</em></a>, Penn shared how frustrated he was that Zelenskyy was silenced, while Smith's actions were the real problem. </p> <p>“The Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s [Zelenskyy] not lighthearted enough.’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith.”</p> <p><em>Variety</em> noted that the actor was visibly infuriated speaking on the subject, even turning red during the interview.</p> <p>“I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn said. “He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f***ing good in <em>King Richard</em>.”</p> <p>“So why the f**k did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f***ing thing? Why did I go to f***ing jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?” the 63-year-old said, referencing his 1987 arrest and jail stint for punching a film extra in the face.</p> <p>“This f***ing bulls**t wouldn’t have happened with Zelenskyy,” Penn added. “Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.”</p> <p>Penn was so shocked and infuriated by the moment that he chose to destroy his two Oscars. </p> <p>"I thought, ‘Well, f**k, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians,’” he said.</p> <p>When visiting Zelenskyy in Ukraine last fall, Penn showed his support by giving the leader one of his Oscars.</p> <p>At the 2022 Oscar's ceremony, Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. </p> <p>After returning to his seat, Smith shouted out, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

Chilling new Cleo Smith abduction details to be aired for first time

<p> New details have emerged about the abduction of Cleo Smith, including her frantic mother’s call to triple-0 when she realised her little girl was missing.</p> <p>Cleo, then four, made international headlines when she was snatched from a tent on October 16 2021 as she slept with her mother, stepfather and baby sister at the Blowholes campsite, near Carnarvon, about 960km north of Perth.</p> <p>The little girl was held captive by Terence Darrell Kelly and locked alone in a bedroom at his home for 18 days before WA police rescued her in a late night raid.</p> <p>Grim new details about Cleo’s kidnapping will soon be aired after Kelly was recently sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in jail.</p> <p>Ellie Smith’s distraught call to triple-0 and police bodycam footage of the tearful mum, after officers arrived at the remote campsite, will be aired for the first time on <em>60 Minutes</em> on May 14.</p> <p>Ms Smith and her partner Jake Giddon also revealed how Cleo is coping 18 months after the scarring ordeal, including new footage of the little girl.</p> <p>“Her nightmare nights are the worst. It's heartbreaking,” Ms Smith said in a preview.</p> <p>“Sad, hurt, scared, terrified. It is hard talking about him (Kelly) and what happened.”</p> <p>The program will also air the heartbreaking audio of Ms Smith’s triple-0 call when she discovered Cleo was missing from their tent on the day she was abducted.</p> <p>"My daughter's gone missing,” the distraught mum said.</p> <p>“How old is your daughter,” the operator asked.</p> <p>“She's four,” Ms Smith tearfully responded.</p> <p>Bodycam footage from the first officers on the scene being shown around the campsite by the terrified mum has also emerged.</p> <p>“We woke up this morning, and she was missing,” Ms Smith said.</p> <p>Cleo’s disappearance led to one of the biggest police searches in WA history and made headlines worldwide.</p> <p>Investigators who were involved in the case will also share more details about the extensive lengths detectives went to track down Kelly.</p> <p>“It really set the investigation alight,” one officer said.</p> <p>“They narrowed and narrowed it. They made the right call.”</p> <p>Ms Smith added, “That was the second we realised she didn't walk away. She was taken.”</p> <p>Ms Smith and her partner appeared at Kelly’s sentencing in the District Court of WA in April.</p> <p>It was the first time the pair had been seen in public since their <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/cleo-smith-s-parents-share-disturbing-new-details" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first interview</a> with <em>60 Minutes</em> a year ago.</p> <p>They reportedly received $2 million for the world exclusive TV interview.</p> <p>Sentencing judge Julie Wager described the fear, distress and trauma Cleo and her parents have been left with as “immeasurable”.</p> <p>“Eighteen days without contact or explanation, and with hours totally on her own and no access to the outside world, would have been very traumatic,” the judge said.</p> <p>Kelly’s legal team have confirmed their client has lodged an appeal over the lengthy sentence handed down to him after he <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/terence-kelly-confesses-to-abducting-cleo-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> to forcibly detaining a child under the age of 16 in January 2022.</p> <p>Court documents have revealed Kelly’s lawyers are appealing on multiple grounds including disputing the extent to which his methamphetamine use contributed to the crime.</p> <p>“The learned sentencing judge erred in finding that the applicant's use of methamphetamine had a significant and casual role in the offending,” the appeal documents read.</p> <p>“The learned sentencing judge failed to give appropriate weight to the applicant's childhood disadvantage and trauma.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: 60 Minutes/Instagram</em></p>

Ben Roberts-Smith intends to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

<p dir="ltr">Controversial soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has revealed he plans to travel to London to take part in official commemorations for Queen Elizabeth II, due to his status as a Victoria Cross recipient.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the <em><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/ben-roberts-smith-to-attend-queen-elizabeth-funeral-commemorations-20220913-p5bho3.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sydney Morning Herald</a></em>, government sources said winners of the medal from several Commonwealth countries have been invited to participate in an order of chivalry procession during the Queen’s funeral on September 19.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mark Donaldson, an Afghanistan war veteran who received the Victoria Cross in 2009, is expected to represent recipients of the Australian Victoria Cross and George Cross in the procession and will see the Queen lying in state.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fellow Victoria Cross recipients Daniel Keighran and Keith Payne, veterans of the Afghanistan and Vietnam wars respectively, are also expected to attend if possible.</p> <p dir="ltr">Payne, the last living recipient of the original “Imperial” Victoria Cross, told the Courier Mail that he hoped to travel to London for the funeral but would need to pass a physical exam first.</p> <p dir="ltr">A spokeswoman for Mr Roberts-Smith confirmed the SAS soldier was invited to participate, and she believed he would travel to the event.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement he shared with the <em><a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/ben-robertssmith-invited-to-join-queens-funeral-procession/news-story/b8905f99bfb9fc387603dc744f4b522b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Telegraph</a></em> on Tuesday, Mr Roberts-Smith said he was “deeply saddened” by the Queen’s passing, describing her as “a stoic leader” and “a lovely lady”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel deeply saddened by Her Majesty’s passing, I had an immense respect for her and she was someone I admired greatly. In every interaction I had with the Queen she was warm, insightful and engaging,“ Mr Roberts-Smith said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was a magnificent monarch, a stoic leader, and importantly just a lovely lady. I feel extremely honoured to be fortunate enough to pay my respects to the Queen and humbled that she saw fit to include the Victoria Cross recipients in her funeral procession.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Roberts-Smith was pictured meeting with the Queen in 2011, telling reporters at the time that they mostly talked about Afghanistan and what he and his patrol did.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We talked mainly about Afghanistan and obviously a great opportunity for me to tell her about what everyone else in my (patrol) did that day, so I got to explain to her a bit of what everyone did as opposed to just myself,” he told reporters after the meeting.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Roberts-Smith’s invite comes as he awaits the outcome of his high-profile defamation case against Nine newspapers over reports where he alleges he was wrongly portrayed as a war criminal and murderer.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2c79db95-7fff-ce6c-9dce-8721c296f151"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Chris Rock opens up about THAT slap

<p dir="ltr">It was the slap that was heard all around the world and had tongues wagging.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chris Rock, who was slapped in the face at the Oscars by Will Smith after making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head (who suffers from alopecia), has spoken about the assault.</p> <p dir="ltr">While headlining stand-up shows in New York and New Jersey, Rock spoke about the infamous slap which “hurt like a motherf***er”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yeah, that sh*t hurt, motherf***er – but I shook that sh*t off and went to work the next day,” he said onstage while performing with Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Anyone who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Rock then proceeded to call out those who said he was a victim, and who made a bigger deal out of the slap than necessary.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not a victim, motherf***er. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”</p> <p dir="ltr">This is the first time Rock has publicly addressed the slap which saw movies that were set to feature Will either <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/is-this-the-end-of-will-smith-s-career" target="_blank" rel="noopener">postponed or shelved</a> following his assault on the comedian.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the Oscars, Smith shocked the crowd and viewers across the world when he stood up from his seat, walked across the stage and slapped Rock before sitting back down.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” Rock said as Smith walked off.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith then yelled back, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The only time Rock actually mentioned the slap was during a show in May at the UK’s Royal Albert Hall.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m OK, if anybody was wondering. I got most of my hearing back,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“People expect me to talk about the bullsh*t. I’m not going to talk about it right now. I’ll get to it eventually – on Netflix."</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith took to Instagram a few days after the assault and publicly apologised to Rock for slapping him on-stage.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Movies

“May justice be done”: Ben Roberts-Smith’s trial comes to an end

<p dir="ltr">The defamation trial launched by Ben Roberts-Smith against Nine newspapers has come to an end after four years, with Justice Anthony Besanko left with the final task of condemning or clearing the war veteran’s name.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawyers are hoping that finding in their client’s favour will see his name cleared and result in the largest defamation payout in history, while a finding in favour of his journalist opponents could validate their claims he committed “the most heinous acts of criminality” while serving in the SAS.</p> <p dir="ltr">The lengthy case drew to a close on Wednesday after over 100 days of evidence, more than $25 million in legal fees and two weeks of closing speeches.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arthur Moses SC, Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister, used his closing statement to push the fact that Nine had the burden of proof to prove their claims the Victoria Cross recipient had murdered unarmed prisoners, </p> <p dir="ltr">“(Nine) published allegations and stories as fact that condemned Mr Roberts-Smith as being guilty of the most heinous acts of criminality that could be made against a member of the Australian Defence Force, and indeed any citizen,” Mr Moses said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It depends upon recollection of events that occurred during missions more than 10 years ago… Recollections which are contradicted either by their own witnesses, our witnesses and Defence Force documents.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“They have urged upon the court a case which is one of mere suspicion, surmise and guesswork to condemn a man, who served his nation with great distinction, as a war criminal.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses called on Justice Besanko to reject Nine’s case “in all forms”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, Nicholas Owens SC, representing Nine, closed his case by returning to the claims and counterclaims, including the question of Mr Roberts-Smith’s motive in killing six detained Afghans when he had transported hundreds of others safely back to Australia bases, which Mr Roberts-Smith said Nine had left unanswered.</p> <p dir="ltr">When he opened his case in June 2021, Mr Owens said that even “the most brutal, vile member of the Taliban imaginable” can’t be killed once detained and “to do so is murder”.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Wednesday, he returned to this point and said Mr Roberts-Smith killed the detainees simply because they were “enemy combatants”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We say that was a powerful motive that operated in relation to all of these incidents… it was a motive to kill Taliban insurgents regardless of the lawfulness of doing so,” Mr Owens told the court.</p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Besanko thanked lawyers on both sides, as well as the legal team for the Commonwealth government who had been on-hand every single day in court to keep highly classified material out of the public sphere.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the trial conducting itself in a combination of open and closed court, with sensitive information and testimonies being held in closed court, the full scope of evidence Justice Besanko must consider isn’t well-known.</p> <p dir="ltr">It is also unknown just how long it will take Justice Besanko to reach a verdict, given the sheer volume of evidence and documents, but it is expected to take many months.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ebdbd3ac-7fff-5171-1cfa-d53402605665"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Nick McKenzie, one of the journalists Mr Roberts-Smith launched his case against, took to social media following the trial’s conclusion to summarise the claims made against Mr Roberts-Smith and call for justice to be done.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Roberts-Smith trial is now over, save for judgment. 4 years ago RS launched it. Such stress for all involved: SAS eye witnesses who accuse RS of murders/cliffkicking of innocent Afghan father, Afghans who witnessed the same, brave woman who spoke up about DV.<br />May justice be done.</p> <p>— Nick McKenzie (@Ageinvestigates) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ageinvestigates/status/1552124223669149696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Roberts-Smith trial is now over, save for judgement,” the <em>Age </em>journalist wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“4 years ago RS (Roberts-Smith) launched it. Such stress for all involved: SAS eye witnesses who accuse RS of murders/kicking of innocent Afghan father, Afghans who witnessed the same, brave woman who spoke up about (domestic violence).</p> <p dir="ltr">“May justice be done.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-66f1c50f-7fff-6c69-c33f-cb92127519d5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

“Target on his back”: Ben Roberts-Smith’s spectacular closing remarks

<p dir="ltr">After 100 days of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/key-witness-arrested-in-ben-roberts-smith-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testimony</a>, cross-examination, and dissection of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/multiple-bombshells-dropped-in-ben-roberts-smith-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evidence</a>, Ben Robert-Smith’s defamation trial is at the beginning of the end.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lawyers representing the veteran began their closing submissions by accusing <em>The Age</em>, <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em>, <em>The Canberra Times</em>, and three journalists of embarking on a “sustained campaign” to falsely portray him as a war criminal, bully and domestic abuser.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Mr Roberts-Smith was an exceptional soldier; highly organised, disciplined, a leader, resourceful and extraordinarily brave,” his barrister, Arthus Moses SC, told the Federal Court on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He did not seek, nor did he want any recognition for performing his duties as a member of the Australian Defence Force. What he did not expect is, having been awarded the Victoria Cross, he would have a target on his back.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses told Justice Anthony Besanko, who has been overseeing the proceedings, that the trial had been called “a great many things”, including the “trial of the century”, a “proxy war-crimes trial” and an “attack” on press freedom.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is none of these,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This has been a case about how Mr Roberts-Smith, the most decorated Australian soldier, and a man with a high reputation for courage, skill and decency in soldiering, had that reputation destroyed by the respondents.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The articles, published in mid-2018, claimed that Mr Roberts-Smith killed or was complicit in the killing of six unarmed prisoners during his deployment in Afghanistan with the SAS.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was alleged he also bullied other soldiers and physically abused a woman he was having an affair with.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Victoria Cross recipient has emphatically denied all allegations, while the newspapers have relied on a truth defence during the trial, calling dozens of current and former SAS soldiers to testify.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses began his address by denouncing the conduct of the Nine newspapers, claiming they refused to back down from errors in their stories and taking aim at the evidence provided by three of their witnesses: Person 7, Person 14, and Andrew Hastie, a former soldier-turned politician.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The publications of the respondents were based on rumour, hearsay and contradictory accounts from former colleagues who were, some, jealous, and/or obsessed with Mr Roberts-Smith,” Mr Moses said, adding that Mr Hastie was “obsessed” with Mr Roberts-Smith but failed to provide evidence to support the murder claims.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Hastie, who served with Mr Roberts-Smith briefly in 2012, was called to testify about a mission in Syahchow and claims that the veteran soldier had ordered a junior soldier, referred to as Person 66, to execute an Afghan captive during the mission.</p> <p dir="ltr">The MP told the court he was at Syahchow that day and saw a dead body with an AK-47 rifle, and that Person 66 looked uncharacteristically uneasy.</p> <p dir="ltr">He claimed that Mr Roberts-Smith walked past and said, “Just a couple more dead c***s”.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Person 66 refused to testify about the mission on the grounds of self-incrimination.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses claimed there was no evidence to support Nine’s claim of murder, and that the “sensationalist” stories came from bitter and jealous SAS insiders who wanted to take Mr Roberts-Smith down.</p> <p dir="ltr">"What is apparent is that both journalists (Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters) have mounted a sustained campaign to unfairly create a belief that Mr Roberts-Smith had committed war crimes in Afghanistan, including during the course of these proceedings," he said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-49c8da02-7fff-5dad-8a44-7edea12667de"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Each side has been allocated four days for a closing address.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Top cop's emotional message to Cleo Smith

<p>Western Australia's police commissioner Chris Dawson has shared an emotional message for Cleo Smith as he prepares to step back from the top job. </p> <p>Commissioner Dawson was in charge of the operation last October, after four-year-old Cleo was abducted from a campsite near her hometown of Carnarvon. </p> <p>18 gruelling days after her disappearance, she was found alive and unharmed in the home of her kidnapper. </p> <p>Speaking with <em>Sunrise</em>, Commissioner Dawson recalled how the incredible operation that captivated the world left its mark on him.</p> <p>“When a little four-year-old has just disappeared from the family tent in the middle of the night, of course, everyone was fearing the worst,” he said.</p> <p>“It was an emergency call that our officers received in Carnarvon - to put that into context, it's about as far as from Melbourne to Sydney."</p> <p>"It was right near a rough patch of sea, a remote area, it was a very, very difficult search. We weren't sure what we were encountering."</p> <p>The frantic search for Cleo ran alongside an intensive criminal investigation, but Dawson said his team did not crack under pressure.</p> <p>“I stand on the shoulders of a great team,” he said.</p> <p>“Of course, there’s pressure... when we had no sign of little Cleo after 17 days.”</p> <p>But on the 18th day, they received information that changed everything.</p> <p>“After a really comprehensive and complex search, we started to get some information and intelligence and I got a phone call several hours before she was found and that was quite dramatic,” he said.</p> <p>Commissioner Dawson said he had the privilege of meeting the “sweet young girl” and her parents last year and he hopes they are able to put the terrifying ordeal behind them as a family.</p> <p>“My hope is she will grow up without fear, she will grow up in the loving family she is with,” he said.</p> <p>“We all want that. This was a horrible time which has now been put in the past."</p> <p>“The person who has abducted her from that tent has pleaded guilty and is in custody."</p> <p>“We would want for Cleo what we want for all of our children, to be able to live safely securely with family.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise / WA Police</em></p>

Caring

Jada's plea to Will Smith and Chris Rock

<p>Jada Pinkett Smith has directly addressed her husband Will’s infamous Academy Awards outburst in the latest episode of her online chat show, Red Table Talk.</p> <p>Looking straight into the camera, Jada called on both her husband and Chris Rock, to put aside their differences and make peace.</p> <p>Best Actor Oscar winner, Will shocked viewers worldwide when he invaded the stage and smacked Rock, who had made a joke about Jada’s bald head. She has been open in recent years about being diagnosed with hair loss disorder alopecia.</p> <p>Jada’s latest episode of Red Table Talk was dedicated to telling the stories of those with alopecia, so she addressed the elephant in the room upfront.</p> <p>“This is a really important Red Table Talk on alopecia. Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars,” she began.</p> <p>“Now about Oscar night: My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” she said, referring to her husband and Rock.</p> <p>She also seemed to suggest the reconciliation should play out on Red Table Talk, telling viewers: “The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.”</p> <p>Jada has used the Red Table Talk format to publicly work through family issues in the past, famously opening up about an extramarital relationship in a past episode as her husband sat and watched.</p> <p>It’s a rare public statement from anyone in the Smith family about what went down on Oscars night, with Will keeping quiet aside from an apologetic statement released the day after the awards, saying his behaviour was “unacceptable and inexcusable.”</p> <p>Rock, too, hasn’t gone into too much detail, telling the audience at his next stand-up show: “I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that sh*t. And it will be serious and funny.”</p> <p>Will Smith won the Best Actor Oscar just half an hour after slapping Rock, but since that night, his career has gone quiet, with several upcoming projects either delayed or cancelled.</p> <p><em>Image: Red Table Talk</em></p>

Mind

Senior soldier confirms Ben Roberts-Smith’s story, contradicts another

<p dir="ltr">A senior SAS soldier has testified in the defamation case launched by Ben Roberts-Smith, backing claims made by the veteran but contradicting another of his key witnesses.</p> <p dir="ltr">The soldier, referred to as Person 81, began his evidence in the Federal Court on Wednesday and is likely to be the last of 40 witnesses called by Mr Roberts-Smith in the year-long trial against Nine newspapers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court heard that Person 81 was heading a patrol of a Taliban compound known as Whiskey 108 in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province in 2009.</p> <p dir="ltr">The newspapers alleged in their defence that two men who were found in a tunnel in Whiskey 108 were killed, with one elderly man being shot by a “rookie” on Mr Roberts-Smith’s orders, and the other, who had a prosthetic leg, being shot by Mr Roberts-Smith with a machine gun.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Mr Roberts-Smith denied the allegations as impossible and that “there were no men in the tunnel”. He said he shot and killed the man with the prosthetic leg, who was armed and running, outside the compound.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 43-year-old said the elderly man was also killed outside the compound by another soldier who was unknown to him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 81 backed up these claims, telling the court he heard no engagements at Whiskey 108 and wasn’t told of any insurgents being killed. He testified that he entered the compound after SAS troops stormed and secured the site, and that he saw Afghan civilians inside.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also said he saw “body parts” amongst “rocket paraphernalia” in the rubble.</p> <p dir="ltr">Defence barrister Arthur Moses SC, representing Mr Roberts-Smith, asked Person 81: “Did you see any engagements in the Whiskey 108 compound after the compound was declared cleared?”<br />“No,” Person 81 answered.</p> <p dir="ltr">Moses: “Do you recall hearing any engagements while you were in the compound?”<br />Person 81: “No.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Moses: “Do you recall reports of any engagements?”<br />Person 81: “No.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 81 also said he “would have reported it” when asked if any members of his troop had told him that unlawful activity had occurred that day, as reported by <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/crime/senior-sas-officer-backs-ben-roberts-smith-c-7017617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though his testimony supports Mr Roberts-Smith’s claims, it contradicts evidence given by Person 5, Mr Roberts-Smith’s patrol commander, who said he heard gunshots from outside the compound during a “rendezvous (RV) meeting” with other patrol and troop commanders.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 5 told the court he discovered Mr Roberts-Smith killing an insurgent, who was later discovered to be the man with the prosthetic leg, and returned to the meeting after he confirmed the man was killed in action (KIA).</p> <p dir="ltr">“When you went back to the RV meeting, did you say anything to Person 81 or anybody else?” Mr Moses asked Person 5 during his testimony.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I informed Person 81 there were two KIA on the north-west corner of the compound,” Person 5 said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though it is undisputed that the two men were killed during the raid on Whiskey 108, the question of whether they were legitimately killed or unlawfully killed as prisoners has become a point of contention during the trial.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Roberts-Smith and five other soldiers have said no men were found in the tunnel, while another five said there were men in the tunnel.</p> <p dir="ltr">Person 4, another soldier who is alleged to have shot the elderly men on Mr Roberts-Smith’s order, has also refused to testify on grounds of self-incrimination.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-668a94c1-7fff-8f9a-6e90-a35aed6d53e5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Most of Person 81’s evidence was concealed behind a closed courtroom on Wednesday, and he is due to continue his testimony on Thursday before Justice Anthony Besanko.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Charlie's Angels star stuns with her ageless appearance

<p>Beloved Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith has stunned fans with her latest jaw-dropping photo at an incredible 76 years of age.</p> <p>She casually posed in jeans and a puffy white blouse as she flaunted her ageless complexion in a pic posted to her Instagram.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXg1pb_PlnA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXg1pb_PlnA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jaclyn Smith (@realjaclynsmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Hundreds of fans immediately took to the comments section to express their shock over Smith’s youthful appearance. This isn’t the first time the mother-of-two has gone viral for her ageless appearance.</p> <p>She uploaded a photo on social media in December, where she was seen embracing her son Gaston Richman. Many followers pointed out how she managed to look younger than the 39-year-old.</p> <p>“I’ll tell you, it was a good photo,” the actress admitted.</p> <p>“Right place, right time. That’s the luck of the draw. Great lighting. I’m with a person that I adore, my son, and it was a going-away party, so my eyes were probably glistening with tears there, sparkling because he’s one of the human beings I worship.”</p> <p>Smith noted that fans still remember her best for playing Kelly Garrett in the hit series, which aired from 1976 until 1981. She has since spoken about her time on Charlie's Angels, sharing fond memories from filming.</p> <p>“Angels in chains, being chained together. Eating lunch together. It was an education and it was eye-opening because each girl was so unique with her own personality and style. And these are my friends today. That bond is what I really remember."</p> <p>“The friendship is what I treasure from that,” she shared.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

Key witness arrested in Ben Roberts-Smith trial

<p>A key witness in the defamation trial of Ben Roberts-Smith has been arrested. </p> <p>The former Special Air Service soldier, who has been known as Person X through the legal proceedings, was approached by detectives hours after he finished giving evidence on Tuesday afternoon.</p> <p>He was subsequently charged with obstructing/hindering/intimidating/resisting a Commonwealth official and causing harm to a law officer, and was granted bail the next day. </p> <p>He will be permitted to return to his home overseas until he is next required in court.</p> <p>Person X spent three days giving evidence in support of Roberts-Smith, who is suing <em>The Age</em>, <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em> and <em>The Canberra Times</em> over articles that he claims portray him as a war criminal and murderer.</p> <p>Person X was stationed with Roberts-Smith during a 2009 mission at a village compound, when the newspapers allege that two Afghan men were pulled from a tunnel and killed by SAS troops, contrary to the rules of war that prohibit the killing of unarmed prisoners.</p> <p>Roberts-Smith is alleged to have directed a junior soldier, known as Person 4, to execute one of the men, on the orders of Person X, and to have shot the other one himself.</p> <p>One SAS soldier who testified for the newspapers, known as Person 14, said that after the mission was over, he heard Person X say, “I finally blooded the rookie”. </p> <p>Another soldier who testified for the newspapers, known as Person 24, told the court that he saw Roberts-Smith drop the other detainee to the ground and shoot him in the back, in what he interpreted as an “exhibition execution”.</p> <p>The prosecution did not oppose bail and Person X’s matter will return to court on June 21st.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Jada Pinkett Smith and Black women’s hair: History of disrespect leads to the CROWN Act

<p>The fallout from “the slap” at this year’s Oscars continues. Last week, Will Smith <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-smith-resigns-from-the-academy-slapped-chris-rock-at-oscars/">resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a>, after the academy issued a statement <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-smith-chris-rock-slap-oscars-academy-formal-review/">condemning</a> Smith’s actions.</p> <p>There have been innumerable media stories about “the slap,” including <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-smiths-oscar-slap-reveals-fault-lines-as-he-defends-jada-pinkett-smith-against-chris-rock-podcast-180280">an episode of <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em></a>. “The joke,” however, has received less attention. <a href="https://www.capitalfm.com/news/chris-rock-will-smith-jada-pinkett-slap-oscars-gi-jane-joke/">“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2 can’t wait to see you</a>,” is what Rock said to Jada Pinkett Smith and the Oscar night audience before Smith got up and slapped him.</p> <p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119173/"><em>G.I. Jane</em></a> is a 1997 fictional drama starring Demi Moore about the first woman to undergo training in the United States Navy Seals. Moore’s “feminine” character, Jane O'Neil, is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/fgijane.htm">chosen</a> by a female politician attempting to make a point in her battle against the <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/2021/04/22/the-hidden-masculinization-and-militarization-of-the-canadian-citizenship-guide/">inherent sexism in the military</a>. To “keep hanging,” O'Neil “divests herself of any trace of femininity” and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_mJDOB7ZM">shaves her head</a>.</p> <p>Although a shaven head for a woman should not signify anything but a <a href="https://www.etalk.ca/celebrity/celebrities-who-shaved-their-heads-and-looked-absolutely-amazing.html">style choice</a>, Pinkett Smith’s shaven head is also due to alopecia. In 2021, she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a93q1We4E0">shared a video on Instagram</a> explaining <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20372926">the disorder</a>.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYB7dMppvjk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYB7dMppvjk/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Regardless of the reasons for Pinkett Smith’s hairstyle, Rock’s joke was yet <a href="https://screencrush.com/g-i-jane-oscars-joke/">another jab at a Black woman’s hair</a>. We Black women have learned to love our hair, despite a wider culture that has, historically, not accepted its diversity.</p> <p>In fact, Black women have been fighting the court system for 40 years to get protection from hair discrimination.</p> <p><strong>Alopecia disproportionately affects Black women</strong></p> <p>In my 2019 book, <a href="https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/B/Beauty-in-a-Box2"><em>Beauty in a Box</em></a> I examined the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5163">dermatological research on hair loss</a>. Two U.S. studies, from 2009 and 2017, found that <a href="https://dermnetnz.org/topics/central-centrifugal-cicatricial-alopecia">central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia</a> (CCCA) is often underdiagnosed; some estimates report that 17 per cent of Black women have this condition.</p> <p>Some of the reasons why Black women are more adversely affected by CCCA are due to tight braiding hairstyles, long-term use of hair weaves, lace-front wigs and chemical relaxers.</p> <p>While Rock might not have known of Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, in his 2009 documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213585/"><em>Good Hair</em></a> he spoke to Black women about their hair, especially about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCEX34-1o6M">chemical relaxers</a>.</p> <p><em>Good Hair</em> was a successful film for Rock, but that does not mean he grew from the project.</p> <p><strong>Black hair discrimination and the CROWN Act</strong></p> <p><em>Glamour</em>’s <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/the-crown-act-september-2020-cover-story">September 2020 cover story</a> was dedicated to six Black women who endured discrimination at work because of their hair. The feature explained how curly, “kinky” or big hair carries meaning for Black women.</p> <p>For example, a <a href="https://www.ellecanada.com/beauty/hair/how-to-style-a-messy-topknot-so-it-looks-chic-not-just-out-of-bed">messy topknot is considered chic</a> on a white woman, while a Black woman with natural hair such as large Afro or locs would be considered unkempt and has <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2513893/Florida-girl-threatened-expulsion-afro-hair.html">led to workplace reprimand</a>.</p> <p>On March 18, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/18/1087661765/house-votes-crown-act-discrimination-hair-style">CROWN Act</a>, banning hair discrimination at private places of work, federal programs and public accommodations. CROWN stands for <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2116">Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5edc69fd622c36173f56651f/t/5edeaa2fe5ddef345e087361/1591650865168/Dove_research_brochure2020_FINAL3.pdf">A 2019 Dove study</a> found that Black women were 80 per cent more likely to feel pressure to change their hairstyles to fit in at the office. Black women were also 83 per cent more likely to report being judged on her looks than other women.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VPvBmkIA-g?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">‘Subjects of Desire’ by Jennifer Holeness delves into issues of race, power and beauty.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>The CROWN Act is not yet an official law. Despite <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/598757-house-passes-crown-act-banning-race-based-hair-discrimination/">President Joe Biden expressing strong support for the bill</a>, there may not be enough votes to pass it.</p> <p><strong>Rogers vs. American Airlines</strong></p> <p>In 1981, American Airlines fired ticket agent Renee Rogers for wearing cornrows. She <a href="https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_case?case=6092364812619612919&q=Rogers+v.+American+Airlines&hl=en&as_sdt=2006&as_vis=1">filed a discrimination suit</a> challenging the airline’s policy prohibiting employees from wearing an all-braided hairstyle, claiming that such a policy violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and discriminated against her as a woman, and also as a Black person.</p> <p>Legal scholar <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1372731">Paulette Cladwell</a> explained how and why the U.S. Federal District Court of New York rejected Rogers’s claim that the style evoked her African heritage.</p> <p>The court said her hairstyle was a result of having seen the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078721/">1979 film <em>10</em></a>, starring <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au0Pp_9oQbo">Bo Derek who makes an appearance wearing long braids</a> with beads at the ends. It became known as the “<a href="https://law.fiu.edu/2019/10/11/the-unnatural-treatment-of-natural-hair-courts-failure-to-recognize-hairstyle-discrimination-as-race-discrimination-the-need-for-state-legislature-action/">Bo Derek defence</a>.” <em>Rogers vs. American Airlines</em> was a landmark case because it set a precedent that sanctioned the firing of Black women on the basis of their hair.</p> <p>In 2016, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a lawsuit filed by the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/4/18/17242788/chastity-jones-dreadlock-job-discrimination">Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Catastrophe Management Solutions (CMS) for firing Chastity Jones, a Black woman</a>, because she wore her hair in locs. The lawsuit shared much in common with <em>Rogers vs. American Airlines</em>. Lawyers for Jones also argued that her termination was in violation of the Civil Rights Act.</p> <p>The court of appeals ruled that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/u-s-court-rules-dreadlock-ban-during-hiring-process-legal-n652211">CMS’s “race-neutral grooming policy” was not discriminatory</a> because while hairstyles are “culturally associated with race” they are “not immutable physical characteristics.” The court ruled that a hairstyle might be closely associated with one’s culture but because it is changeable, it is not protectable under the law and an employer is within its rights to use it as a reason to deny employment.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456215/original/file-20220404-12538-fk7qau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown smiles." /><figcaption><span class="caption">Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson smiles in Washington on March 31, 2022.</span> <span class="attribution">(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)</span></figcaption></figure> <p>Hair has also come up in discussions on <a href="https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/a39520244/judge-ketanji-brown-jacksons-locs/">Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings</a> because the legal profession has often discouraged natural hairdos. In 2007, an editor from <em>Glamour</em> in a “do’s and don'ts” fashion event at a New York law firm <a href="https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/almID/1188161099761/?slreturn=20220304144452">called locs “truly dreadful.”</a></p> <p><strong>Why Black hair jokes aren’t funny</strong></p> <p>When Black women are in legal and cultural battles for the right to wear their hair as they choose, jokes about our hair just aren’t funny. The <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/02/06/685506578/is-beauty-in-the-eyes-of-the-colonizer">straight hair standard of beauty has been called toxic</a> not only to Black women but women in general for the ways it valorizes white, western beauty ideals.</p> <p>One may argue that public figures should be open to criticism. For example, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson often shows up with his hair in disarray <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/how-boris-johnsons-hair-defined-britain/">which gets poked fun at by media</a>. The difference is that there is no threat to his livelihood.</p> <p>Until Black women can wear their hair how they want without risk of ridicule, reprimand or termination, a joke targeting Black hair is no laughing matter.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180631/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cheryl-thompson-662166">Cheryl Thompson</a>, Assistant Professor, Performance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/ryerson-university-1607">Ryerson University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jada-pinkett-smith-and-black-womens-hair-history-of-disrespect-leads-to-the-crown-act-180631">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

Is this the end of Will Smith’s career?

<p dir="ltr">Movies that were set to feature Will Smith have either been postponed or shelved following his assault on comedian Chris Rock.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith slapped Rock in the face at the Oscars following a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head.</p> <p dir="ltr">Netflix and Sony have both taken a stance against Smith’s assault and behaviour during the Oscars.</p> <p dir="ltr">The production of <em>Fast and Loose</em> has been stopped by Netflix since the infamous slap. They are yet to comment on their decision. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sony has also placed <em>Bad Boys 4 </em>on hold despite Smith receiving the 40 pages of script prior to the Oscars. </p> <p dir="ltr">This leaves Smith with one film, <em>Emancipation</em>, already in post production to come out on Apple+ later in the year.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the Oscars, Smith shocked the crowd and viewers across the world when he stood up from his seat, walked up the stage and slapped Rock before sitting back down.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” Rock said as Smith walked off.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith then yelled back, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith took to Instagram where he publicly apologised to Rock for slapping him on-stage. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in a screenshot shared on Instagram.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Movies

Wild scenes after No.1 seed slaps opponent at the net

<p dir="ltr">A tennis player has been caught on camera slapping his opponent - so, is this Will Smith’s match?</p> <p dir="ltr">Michael Kouame, 15, lost to Raphael Nii Ankrah, 16, 2-6 7-6 6-7 in the first round of an ITF juniors tournament in Accra, Ghana’s capital.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair met at the net to shake hands before Michael slapped Raphael in the face before a brawl ensued amongst attendees.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://t.co/4B0NjVI5zv">pic.twitter.com/4B0NjVI5zv</a></p> <p>— SHARP SHOOTER 🔫 (@Kwesi_Gibson) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kwesi_Gibson/status/1511083902382792716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Footage of the incident was shared to Twitter with many pointing out that Michael should not have slapped Raphael and tried to run away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think he forgot his location..how can you slap someone in his own country,” someone pointed out.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Kid was running ? You can’t start sh*t and then run away,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The coward ran away? Disgraceful behavior!” another wrote.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7327767-7fff-615f-1159-08b2929a46d9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Legal

New footage shows Jada laughing after Oscars slap

<p>As the public <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/mind/opinion-why-we-need-to-change-how-we-re-talking-about-the-oscars-slap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discourse</a> around the drama on Oscars night continues, a new angle captured on camera shows a surprising reaction. </p> <p>Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith's wife, can be seen laughing as her husband returns to his seat after <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-slap-heard-around-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slapping presenter Chris Rock</a> in the face over a joke he made about Jada's bald head. </p> <p>In the previously unseen footage taken from behind the couple at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Smith could be seen returning to his seat after slapping Rock, who then tells the audience, "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me." </p> <p>Pinkett Smith appears to be laughing at this line, and she also seemed to chuckle when the comedian said, "That was the ... greatest night in the history of television."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbvthnNquBP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbvthnNquBP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Michael Rapaport (@michaelrapaport)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Academy has since announced that following the incident, Smith was asked to leave the auditorium but he "refused" and later went on to win Best Lead Actor for his performance in <em>King Richard</em>. </p> <p>The Academy announced they would be investigating the incident, saying things unfolded in "a way we could not have anticipated".</p> <p>"While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently," the Academy said in a statement released on Thursday.</p> <p>Will Smith issued an apology to Chris Rock in a statement on Instagram the day after the Oscars, with the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/chris-rock-addresses-the-slap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comedian</a> saying he is "still processing" what happened. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Chris Rock addresses the slap

<p dir="ltr">After seemingly every celebrity shared their perspective on the incident where <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-slap-heard-around-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock</a> at the Oscars, Rock has addressed the topic for the first time publicly.</p> <p dir="ltr">The comedian revealed he was “still processing” the incident at the start of one of his standup shows in Boston on Wednesday night, as reported by <em><a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-2022-comedian-responds-slap/d56fdda5-93dc-4418-8567-033f2353652f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9Honey</a></em>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4cbb431e-7fff-1754-ccfe-58bc141aa2f9">Footage and audio of the start of the show was also shared on social media by audience members and media outlets, including the New York Post and in the tweet below.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chris Rock breaks his silence in the most Chris Rock way <a href="https://t.co/cQaYXtKjfx">pic.twitter.com/cQaYXtKjfx</a></p> <p>— Piñata Farms 🪅 (@pinatafarms) <a href="https://twitter.com/pinatafarms/status/1509363694458875910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">After appearing on stage in an all-white suit to thunderous applause from the crowd, he addressed the thing that was sure to be at the front of everyone’s minds.</p> <p dir="ltr">“How was your weekend?” he began, prompting a wave of laughter.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t have a bunch of s**t about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that s**t. And it will be serious and funny.”</p> <p dir="ltr">One audience member chanted, “F**k Will Smith!” before Rock continued on with the show.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m going to tell some jokes. It’s nice to just be out,” he said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dcec0c24-7fff-5d01-5729-c34f71c4b78b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Outside the theatre, at least a dozen local broadcast journalists had set up, arriving up to two hours before showtime to catch a glimpse of Rock.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/GettyImages-1388644800.jpg" alt="" width="792" height="1024" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Chris Rock arrived at the Wilbur Theatre for his standup show to journalists and religious leaders, as many hoped to hear his side of the story. Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Local religious leaders also gathered outside before the show to make a statement about “the incident regarding our brothers” and to “send a message that violence is not the way to resolve conflict”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is a teachable moment so we end the cycle of violence that is underreported in the Black community,” Kevin C. Peterson, the founder of the non-partisan, non-profit organisation New Democracy Coalition, told reporters.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9c038520-7fff-847c-3bd3-d4bfc59b275f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Rock’s performances at the State Theatre in Boston, ahead of his “Ego Death World Tour” which starts next month, were sold out and were in especially high demand as many anticipated it would be the first time he would publicly address the incident.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined.</p> <p>— TickPick (@TickPick) <a href="https://twitter.com/TickPick/status/1508453636862627844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">With tickets originally starting at $USD 49.50 (approximately $NZD 71), they began to sell for as much as $USD 800 to $USD 8000 (between $NZD 1150 and 11500) on secondary sites such as StubHub and TickPick, which recorded record demand and sales.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b9604807-7fff-a192-13f2-d84657f4c9f8">It comes just a day after Smith <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/an-embarrassment-ben-fordham-weighs-in-on-will-smith-drama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued an apology</a> to Rock, and as many criticise the <em>Fresh Prince </em>star and the audience for <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/mind/opinion-why-we-need-to-change-how-we-re-talking-about-the-oscars-slap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letting a person assault another on-stage without any repercussions</a>.</span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Police seen outside Will Smith’s mansion

<p dir="ltr">Police were seen outside Will Smith’s LA mansion a day after he <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-slap-heard-around-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slapped comedian Chris Rock</a> at the Oscars.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith’s home in Calabasas was attended by officers on Tuesday afternoon, who confirmed the actor had called the cops himself, <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/5007092/cops-seen-will-smiths-calabasas-mega-mansion-oscars-ceremony/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The US Sun</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">It is alleged that a drone was seen flying over the mega-mansion but by the time police arrived it had disappeared. </p> <p dir="ltr">The police department also confirmed that no report was filed by Rock after he was assaulted by Smith.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the Oscars, Rock joked that he was looking forward to seeing Pinkett-Smith star in a sequel to G.I. Jane - the 1997 film starring Demi Moore as a bald Navy SEAL recruit - apparently referring to Pinkett-Smith’s bald head.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith shocked the crowd and viewers across the world when he stood up from his seat, walked up the stage and slapped Rock before sitting back down.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” Rock said as Smith walked off.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith then yelled back, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Smith took to Instagram where he publicly apologised to Rock for slapping him on-stage. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in a screenshot shared on Instagram on Tuesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr">LA Police released a statement confirming no report was filed by Rock but an investigation could ensue should he decide to. </p> <p dir="ltr">"The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report,” the statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr">"If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

News

OPINION: Why we need to change how we’re talking about the Oscars slap

<p dir="ltr">On Monday, Hollywood actor Will Smith made international headlines when he stormed the Oscars stage and <a href="https://o60.me/2qZnuq">slapped comedian and presenter Chris Rock</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">What prompted the outrage? Chris Rock making a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her buzzed haircut. </p> <p dir="ltr">As Chris took to the stage to present the Best Documentary award, he bantered with the crowd saying, "Jada, I love you. <em>GI Jane 2</em> — can't wait to see it, alright."</p> <p dir="ltr">It was then that Will stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock, before returning to his seat and bellowing, “Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth." </p> <p dir="ltr">In true Hollywood fashion, the moment was swiftly moved on from, with no immediate ramifications for the actor. </p> <p dir="ltr">Not an hour later, Will Smith went on to win the award for Best Lead Actor, where in his tearful speech, he attempted to condone his own actions as being driven by protection. </p> <p dir="ltr">"In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world," he said. "I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people ... and to be a river to my people."</p> <p dir="ltr">As he went on to apologise to the Academy and his fellow nominees for his outburst, he noticeably failed to apologise to Chris Rock (a matter which he has since <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/an-embarrassment-ben-fordham-weighs-in-on-will-smith-drama">recifited in an Instagram statement</a>).</p> <p dir="ltr">His emotional speech earned him a standing ovation from Hollywood’s biggest stars in LA’s Dolby Theatre, as he went on to say, “Love will make you do crazy things.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the incident, online spaces were justifiably dominated by discussions about who was in the right, and if you were team Chris or team Will. </p> <p dir="ltr">This kind of discourse has since led to conversations about violence and ableism, which rightfully turns the incident into something far more serious. </p> <p dir="ltr">The question of whether or not you disagree with Chris Rock’s joke is completely irrelevant when looking at the bigger picture. </p> <p dir="ltr">What we saw at that event was a now Oscar-winning actor being given a standing ovation after he took to a global stage that was being broadcast to millions of people – after he assaulted someone. </p> <p dir="ltr">Will Smith walked on that stage and assaulted Chris Rock, while no one did anything. </p> <p dir="ltr">In a room full of the Hollywood elite, no one had the guts to stand up and condemn his actions, regardless of whether he was destined to win a later award or not. </p> <p dir="ltr">The event was brushed over while everyone in the room fell quiet and decided to ignore what they had just witnessed, much like other instances of violence in Hollywood. </p> <p dir="ltr">People often wonder how sexual abuse at the hands of people like Harvey Weinstein went unnoticed, or ignored, for so many years before the spark of the #MeToo movement in 2006. </p> <p dir="ltr">The abuse that we witnessed at the Oscars is the foundation of that very movement. </p> <p dir="ltr">And while, yes, systemic sexual abuse is different to Will Smith’s actions, covering up any kind of abuse is all the same. </p> <p dir="ltr">Being complacent and choosing not to stand up for what is right is how abusers are permitted to continue their dangerous patterns. </p> <p dir="ltr">In Will’s speech, he said, “Love will make you do crazy things.”</p> <p dir="ltr">This kind of speech and justification is the exact same kind of rhetoric that victims hear at the hands of domestic abusers. </p> <p dir="ltr">He flouted his actions as those of a “protector of his family”, which is another rationalisation of abuse that should not be accepted. </p> <p dir="ltr">There were a thousand other ways this situation could’ve been handled without it escalating to violence. </p> <p dir="ltr">Will could’ve found Chris at the after party and explained to him why his joke wasn’t cool, or he could’ve clapped back at him on stage with an even more brutal roast, or he could’ve done literally anything other than what he did. </p> <p dir="ltr">Whether he was annoyed at the joke or not, assaulting someone who was just up there to do his job is not how you handle a situation, regardless of if you felt you were “defending” someone’s honour. </p> <p dir="ltr">The joke in question has left a lot of people divided, with many jumping to Will and Jada’s defence. </p> <p dir="ltr">As the joke in question targeted her shaved head (a result of her alopecia diagnosis), it’s worth taking a look at the history of bald jokes and the blatant double standard in the scenario. </p> <p dir="ltr">For decades, slapstick comedy has relied on making a bald joke to get a quick laugh. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nine times out of ten, these jokes are at the expense of men. </p> <p dir="ltr">The most notable example comes from Will Smith’s own show <em>The Fresh Prince of Bel Air</em>, which constantly relied on the character of Uncle Phil, a heavy set balding black man, to be the butt of all jokes (and there were a LOT of them).</p> <p dir="ltr">So for Will Smith to have his most famous character constantly be telling bald jokes with no ramifications is just plain hypocrisy.</p> <p dir="ltr">And if bald jokes are okay to make for men, then they are not off limits for women either, because you have to be consistent in your prejudices. </p> <p dir="ltr">Regardless of the joke, or the aftermath, or the apologies, or the sappy speeches, we cannot deny that what we all witnessed on the Oscars stage was completely unacceptable. </p> <p dir="ltr">And the fact that the room full of influential people chose to do nothing only further perpetuates the fact that rules are different for the rich and famous. </p> <p dir="ltr">The fact that Will Smith just sat back in his chair after assaulting a man on live international television only cements the fact that if you have enough money, fame and power, you can seemingly get away with just about anything.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Mind

“An embarrassment”: Ben Fordham weighs in on Will Smith drama

<p dir="ltr">Will Smith has publicly apologised to Chris Rock for <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/the-slap-heard-around-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slapping him</a> on-stage at the Oscars over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote in a screenshot shared on Instagram on Tuesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0abc6f8c-7fff-96cc-e912-16e0b28c2185"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqmaY1p7Pz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqmaY1p7Pz/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The apology comes after the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, the organisation that awards the Oscars, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/could-will-smith-lose-his-oscar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> Smith’s behaviour and said they would investigate the incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">Others have also been quick to weigh in on the situation, with radio host Ben Fordham questioning how Smith was able to stay in the audience and go on to receive an award.</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking on 2GB, Fordham questioned why Smith hadn’t faced any repercussions after he “belted (Rock) in the face”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The best the Academy could do was send out a pathetic tweet … You absolutely condoned it. You let him return to his seat. You didn’t kick him out and you then handed him an award,” Fordham <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/awards/oscars/double-standards-ben-fordham-lashes-out-over-will-smiths-oscars-slap/news-story/ab86b57d23709fc4e9da0b9a7801af56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The double standards are extraordinary.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They lecture everyone else about how to behave, but when the bad behaviour happened on their stage it was a case of see no evil, hear no evil.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Academy Awards are an embarrassment. They preach one thing and they do the opposite.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The radio host and journalist acknowledged why Smith would have been upset, while also pointing out that Smith initially laughed at the joke until he saw his wife’s reaction.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If that was said about my wife, I would have struggled to stay in my seat,” Fordham admitted.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wouldn’t have belted anyone, but I can understand how rage could build when you see something like this happen to someone you love.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-be03ca59-7fff-b29e-20ca-27e3072a6e48"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The slap has also prompted the resurfacing of footage showing Smith behaving similarly and slapping a ‘reporter’ in 2012.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Y’all must’ve forgot <a href="https://t.co/OhGHFCOAbT">pic.twitter.com/OhGHFCOAbT</a></p> <p>— Jiles (@Jiles) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jiles/status/1508276702258024452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The star <a href="https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/oscar-2022-will-smith-slapped-reporter-for-kissing-him-old-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> slapped Ukrainian prankster Vitali Sediuk, who was posing as a reporter when he attempted to kiss Smith.</p> <p dir="ltr">Luckily, the 2012 incident ended in apologies from the prankster - who went on to repeat the stunt with other celebrities - but the run-in between Rock and Smith hasn’t gone as smoothly.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rock’s joke during the awards ceremony referred to Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3b7b138b-7fff-cd9e-5361-f77bfd0e237f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">She was diagnosed with alopecia (the medical term for baldness) in 2018 and has since spoken out about her experience losing her hair.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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