The controversial slap Will Smith planted on comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars was “faked” and a ploy to promote a new Pfizer drug, according to the latest conspiracy theories..On Sunday night at the 94th Academy Awards, host Chris Rock was slapped by Will Smith after Rock joked that Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was readying for “G.I. Jane 2” due to her shaved head.. Jada-Pinkett-SmithPhoto of Jada Pinket Smith courtesy Twitter .Pinket Smith has spoken publicly about her struggles with alopecia — an autoimmune disorder that attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss on the scalp and can also affect the face and body. .An illustration circulating on various social media platforms seemingly depicts a breakdown of the slap inferring Rock knew it was coming.. Smith-Rock-SlapPhoto courtesy Twitter .Social media and conspiracy theorists are now swarming with talk of how the slap was orchestrated by award sponsor Pfizer which is in the final phase of trials for Ritlecitinib, a drug to treat Alopecia..British comedian Alistair Williams, who tackles controversial subject matter and creates content that challenges the food and health industry, posted a tweet with a link to a Pfizer press release about the drug calling it, “Proof for the ‘it’s a conspiracy theory’ crew.”.“Pfizer sponsored the Oscars last night and they have an alopecia drug coming out. Do you see the game yet?” Williams tweeted..Pfizer and BioNTech paired up two years ago on the development of Comirnaty, their jointly-made COVID-19 shot. The two drugmakers paired up again to sponsor Sunday’s Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest awards night of the year..“Pfizer and BioNTech are proud to support the Oscars, and we are heartened to see the film industry gather in person and alongside fans to celebrate the talent and artistry produced during the past year,” a Pfizer spokesperson told Fierce Pharma Marketing..“The film industry has embraced vaccination, masking and other protocols designed to help prevent disease and avoid serious illness from COVID-19 and we are pleased to work with it to further promote public health.”.Along with a mention at the start of the show, Pfizer also ran an older commercial during the awards that first aired in December of last year..Although Pfizer did not disclose how much it spent on the sponsorship, according to the ShowBiz Cheat Sheet, the event drew a hefty $115.3 million in advertising revenue last year. A 30-second ad last year reportedly went for between $1.7 million and $2.2 million..Later during the award show, Smith apologized during his best actor acceptance speech, but did not mention Rock. He has since issued a public apology to Rock calling his actions “out of line.”.“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” said Smith, who added his behaviour at the show was “unacceptable and inexcusable.”.“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.”.“I would like to publicly apologize 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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”.Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
