The day Jada Pinkett Smith found handfuls of hair in her shower was the moment everything changed. “It was terrifying when it first started,” the star revealed in a candid 2018 episode of her hit show Red Table Talk, where she first opened up about her struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.
What began as a shocking and frightening moment for the actress has become a years-long journey of acceptance, advocacy, and finding beauty in the unexpected. The 50-year-old star described the initial terror: “I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, oh my god, am I going bald?”
For Jada, the unpredictable nature of alopecia has been one of the hardest aspects to manage. “It’s so much shame around alopecia and when you go bald, and you don’t have a choice,” she said during a Red Table Talk episode dedicated to the condition. “I think the part that makes it the most difficult for me is that it comes and goes.”
Her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, who has witnessed her daughter’s struggle firsthand, added that the hair loss “is always so spotty,” making it challenging to maintain a consistent style. “It’s stressful because a patch grows and then another patch comes out, and that gives me a lot of anxiety. ‘Oh, what’s my hair going to look like today?'” Jada admitted.
Rather than hiding her condition, Jada has chosen to embrace her changing appearance. When a noticeable bald line appeared on her scalp in December 2021, she took to Instagram with humor and honesty. “Now at this point, I can only laugh,” she shared in a video. “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here. Look at that. So it just showed up like that and this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide.”
Instead of letting it bring her down, Jada decided to transform her hair loss into something beautiful. “But you know mama’s going to put some rhinestones in there. I’m going to make me a little crown. That’s what mama’s going to do,” she declared with the confidence fans have come to love.
In July 2021, Jada took the bold step of completely shaving her head after being inspired by her daughter Willow. “Willow made me do it because it was time to let go, BUT…my 50s are ’bout to be divinely lit with this shed.” The gorgeous mother-daughter photo showed that Jada wasn’t just coping with her condition—she was owning it.
The actress has tried various treatments over the years. “I’m getting my little steroid injections, and they seem to be helping, but not curing… I’m open to other ideas,” she shared. Her openness about treatments has encouraged many followers dealing with similar issues.
What’s most remarkable about Jada’s journey is how she’s used her platform to raise awareness about a condition that affects over 6 million Americans. “One of the reasons I thought this show was really important was because I had so much outreach from people who suffer from alopecia, have children who suffer from alopecia, and they don’t talk about it because there’s so much shame around it,” she explained.
In a stunning update last year, Jada shared photos showing significant hair regrowth, giving hope to many facing similar struggles. “This here hair is act’n like it’s try’n a make a come back,” she captioned before-and-after images. “Still have some trouble spots but — we’ll see.” The post showed her previously shaved head alongside a new look featuring regrowth with a stylish blonde shade.
Through all the ups and downs, Jada has maintained her signature grace and found a silver lining in connecting with others who understand her experience. “I feel like I’m part of such a beautiful tribe,” she said.
By turning her personal struggle into a platform for awareness, Jada has helped countless others feel less alone in their hair loss journey. From that frightening shower moment to strutting confidently with her shaved head on red carpets, she’s shown that true beauty comes from embracing your authentic self—with or without hair.
