Ms Pinkett Smith has spoken openly about her struggles with hair loss – which is difficult for everyone, but particularly difficult in the sexist and image-conscious world of American celebrity, where women, in particular, endure an endless litany of comments about their appearance, clothing choices, relationships, and anything else people can find to distinguish. He reportedly said he was unaware of her alopecia, but he probably at least knew the joke would sting, since he produced the documentary “Good Hair,” about black women and their often strained relationships with their hair.

Ms Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, a hair loss condition that disproportionately affects black women.