Rep. Ayanna Pressley deleted a tweet thanking Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars

• Will Smith hit Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars.
• Pinkett Smith has previously spoken out about dealing with alopecia, which causes hair loss.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley deleted a tweet in which she thanked Will Smith for "defending" his wife after he slapped Chris Rock following a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith during the Academy Awards.

—Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) March 28, 2022

"Shout out to all the men who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults," the Massachusetts congresswoman wrote in the tweet.

While presenting the award for best documentary feature, Rock made a joke aimed at Pinkett Smith when he said "Can't wait for G.I. Jane 2."

Smith walked on stage and appeared to slap Rock before walking back to his chair while yelling "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth!"

Pinkett Smith has spoken out in the past about dealing with alopecia, a disease in which the body attacks its own hair follicles, causing hair loss.

Pressley has also opened up about alopecia and her hair loss.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman also deleted a tweet about the interaction.

"Teachable Moment: Don't joke about a Black Woman's hair," Bowman said in the deleted tweet.

—Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) March 28, 2022

Other politicians, like Rep. Ritchie Torres, also spoke out about the chaotic scene. While he disagreed with Rock's joke, he said Smith's behavior was unacceptable.

"I found Chris Rock's joke to be distasteful and disgusting. But there is no justification for a violent assault on live TV. None," Torres said in a tweet.

Pressley and Bowman's offices did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.