A red carpet moment became the catalyst of backlash for Laverne Cox. At the recent SAG Awards, Cox was holding down the red carpet as she interviewed her peers, including Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The trio was enthused to see each other and during the brief chat, Cox joked, "We can't wait for more ‘Red Table Talk’ and more entanglements." This was of course in reference to Jada and Will's previous controversy about her relationship with singer August Alsina.
Although it was brushed off with a laugh, and a promise of no more entanglements in the future, Cox was inundated with responses from the public. Vivica Fox called the remark "tacky" and social media timelines were filled with criticisms, so the Orange is the New Black icon hopped on Instagram Live to set the record straight.
"That was the moment that many of you thought was tasteless and tacky and wrong time, wrong place," said Cox. "I've been thinking about it, I'm like, 'Okay, let's—no one is above critique.' I like to hold myself accountable, this is part of my process as a human being. When I'm wrong,g I try to promptly admit it."
She went on to explain that she is a huge fan of the couple and what they have built with their Facebook Watch series. "But, I want to take a moment to just critically reflect on it. So, the thing is for me, I love Red Table Talk, I love Red Table Talk and I love what the Smiths have done with Red Table Talk, and I think my error is that I had so many things that I wanted to say to the Smiths and we didn't have time."
When Cox mentioned "entanglements," she believed it was a funny quip. "My intent was not to mock or make fun of, but obviously, I understand there's a difference between intent and impact." She added, "I did not apologize, this is not an apology. If the Smiths need an apology from me, I'll find out privately and I'll do that privately."
Watch Laverne Cox explain her side of the story below.
