Alopecia Org Responds to Ricky Gervais Mocking Jada Pinkett Smith's Hair Loss

Ricky Gervais is facing blowback after taking aim at Jada Pinkett Smith and mocking people who consider her alopecia to be a disability. 

Responding to his comments, the National Alopecia Areata Foundation said that alopecia— an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss — is no joke. 

"It can be unpredictable and cause significant physical, emotional/mental health, psycho-social, and financial burdens—and there is no cure, effective treatment or standard of care," the organization said in a statement to Newsweek. 

Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her experiences living with alopecia, has been a hot topic after her husband, Will Smith, stormed onto the stage at the Oscars and hit presenter Chris Rick with an open palm for cracking a joke about his wife's shaved head. 

Gervais later shared his opinion on the matter in a video posted to TikTok.

"You don't hit people over a joke, however bad it is," he said. "And it wasn't bad! That was like the tamest joke I would ever have told.

"Someone said it was joking about her disability," he said then burst into laughter. "Well I'm going a bit thin. So I'm disabled. That means I can park right up next to [British supermarket] Tesco now."

"And I'm fat. That's a disease, isn't it?" Gervais added. "I'm fat and balding. I should get [expletive] benefits."

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation accepted that the condition is not "medically disabling" but pointed out that "emotionally, this disease can be challenging for those living with it, especially if they have extensive hair loss."

"Multiple studies have confirmed the impact of emotional/mental health and psycho-social burdens on people living with alopecia areata," the organization said in its statement to Newsweek. "In fact, it has been found that up to 50 percent of children and adolescents with alopecia areata suffer from depression and 39 percent suffer from generalized anxiety disorders."

"Another study showed that among adults with alopecia, 71 percent have some degree of depression or anxiety," the statement continued. "Many people living with the condition are suffering, and we must do better to support this community and erase the stigma, discrimination, and societal barriers that persist."

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