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Entertainment

Jada Pinkett Smith cries with mom of girl with alopecia who died by suicide

By
Samantha Ibrahim
Published May 31, 2022
Updated May 31, 2022, 3:50 p.m. ET
On Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith, 50, along with her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, sit down with Niki Ball, the mother of a 12-year-old daughter who also suffered from alopecia. Ball's daughter Rio was severely bullied over her hair loss and died by suicide in March.
The actress spoke with the mother of a 12-year-old girl who killed herself after suffering from severe bullying. Red Table Talk/Facebook

Jada Pinkett Smith is here to help others cope with the hair-loss disease alopecia.

The “Gotham” actress, 50, recently sat down with Niki Ball, the mother of a 12-year-old girl, Rio, who tragically cut her young life short after being bullied for her alopecia. The severe, escalating abuse the girl suffered reportedly included getting “smacked” on the head by other students, being called names like “naked mole rat” and even having her wig “ripped off her head.”

Rio committed suicide on March 14, 2022.

In a clip from an upcoming, tear-filled episode of Pinkett Smith’s Facebook Watch show “Red Table Talk,” obtained by People, Ball explained that Rio developed alopecia during the coronavirus pandemic and her hair started falling out “by the handful.”

It began with a bald spot on her scalp, and shortly after Rio was diagnosed with alopecia areata.

The condition is categorized as an autoimmune disorder that causes one’s hair to come out in clumps. Pinkett Smith has suffered from the illness since 2018.

On Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith, 50, along with her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, sit down with Niki Ball, the mother of a 12-year-old daughter who also suffered from alopecia. Ball's daughter Rio was severely bullied over her hair loss and died by suicide in March.
“I knew this was very serious,” Ball said. “[Her death] was the worst day of my life.” Red Table Talk/Facebook

Interest in the “Scream 2” star’s hair condition skyrocketed after Pinkett Smith’s shaved head was teased by comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars on March 28.

Rock, 57, suggested at the time that the Baltimore native looked like “GI Jane” just before her husband Will Smith slapped him onstage.

Ball noted that with Rio’s hair loss, “She was so strong. She still rocked it even when it was falling out, and she just had these big bald patches. [She] tried the creams. They made her break out. Tried the injections — she took five of them in one day. But neither of them really did anything.”

On Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith, 50, along with her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, sit down with Niki Ball, the mother of a 12-year-old daughter who also suffered from alopecia. Ball's daughter Rio was severely bullied over her hair loss and died by suicide in March.
Pinkett Smith spoke to Niki Ball during an episode of “Red Table Talk” alongside her daughter Willow Smith and her mom, Adrienne Banfield-Norris. Red Table Talk/Facebook

After trying a variety of remedies, nothing seemed to be working. So the mother-daughter duo decided to shave the latter’s head — with positive results.

“She just glowed,” Ball stated.

When it was time for Rio to head back to school, she was excited to wear a wig. “We got her that super cute wig, she loved it, and she glowed then,” she added. However, Rio quickly changed her mind once she started classes.

“Within a couple of weeks, she was like, ‘I don’t want to wear it anymore; there’s no point,'” her mom recalled. “She had it ripped off her head.”

On Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith, 50, along with her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, sit down with Niki Ball, the mother of a 12-year-old daughter who also suffered from alopecia. Ball's daughter Rio was severely bullied over her hair loss and died by suicide in March.
Rio was only 12 years old when she committed suicide after she was bullied for her hair loss. Red Table Talk/Facebook

Rio’s harassment got worse. One person even “smacked” her “upside on the head [while] walking down the hallway. And that was within the first two weeks, three weeks. It got really bad for her.”

Other insults that kids would hurl at her included calling her a “naked mole rat,” a “bug-eyed alien” and “Mr. and Mrs. Clean.”

Three weeks before Rio’s passing, Ball noted that her daughter “had a really bad day” at school and “just lost it” when she picked her up from class.

On Wednesday's episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith, 50, along with her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, sit down with Niki Ball, the mother of a 12-year-old daughter who also suffered from alopecia. Ball's daughter Rio was severely bullied over her hair loss and died by suicide in March.
The Emmy-winner was diagnosed with alopecia areata in 2018. Red Table Talk/Facebook

“I knew this was very serious,” Ball said. “[Her death] was the worst day of my life.”

Emmy-winner Pinkett Smith then sobbed alongside Ball and declared that Rio’s story is one of the causes as to why others “need an understanding around the devastation of this condition.”

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.