Did renowned actress and film producer Jada Pinkett Smith say that "she blames 'white supremacists' for the flop of her new Netflix docudrama series, Queen Cleopatra"? No, that's not true: No credible evidence exists that Pinkett Smith has made any such statement. The website where this claim appeared also has a reputation for publishing fabricated and inaccurate content.
The claim appeared in an article published by The People's Voice on May 16, 2023, titled "Jada Pinkett Smith Says 'White Supremacy' Responsible for Cleopatra's Terrible Audience Score" (archived here). It opened:
Jada Pinkett Smith says she blames 'white supremacists' for the flop of her new Netflix docudrama series, Queen Cleopatra, which has one the worst audience ratings in U.S. television history.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Jada Pinkett Smith Says 'White Supremacy' Responsible for Cleopatra's Terrible Audience Score - The People's Voice
Jada Pinkett Smith says she blames 'white supremacists' for the flop of her new Netflix docudrama series, Queen Cleopatra, which has one the worst audience ratings in U.S. television history.
A Google News search using keywords central to this article yielded no results to substantiate its claim. If a celebrity as prominent as Pinkett Smith had made such a statement it would be considered a significant news event and show up on Twitter, which it has not.
While there is no evidence to suggest that Pinkett Smith herself said this, a May 13, 2023, TheThings article reported that the director of Pinkett Smith's Netflix docuseries, "African Queens: Cleopatra," Tina Gharavi, addressed the overarching colorism controversy:
'... it's not just that I've directed a series that portrays Cleopatra as Black, but that I have asked Egyptians to see themselves as Africans, and they are furious at me for that. I am okay with this.'
'So, was Cleopatra Black? We don't know for sure, but we can be certain she wasn't white like Elizabeth Taylor. We need to have a conversation with ourselves about our colorism, and the internalized white supremacy that Hollywood has indoctrinated us with.'
The article went on to report that Pinkett Smith has not yet made a statement:
Given that Pinkett Smith is the executive producer of the series, people were waiting to hear her stance on why Cleopatra was chosen as an African Queen. But the response to date has been quieter than anticipated.
The People's Voice, a rebrand of NewsPunch, is among the most prolific online publishers of fake news.
Lead Stories has contacted representatives of Pinkett Smith and will update this fact check if a response is received.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks about Jada Pinkett Smith and The People's Voice can be read here and here.
