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Highlights
- Jada Pinkett Smith reveals in her memoir that she and Will Smith have been secretly separated since 2016, shocking fans and raising questions about their past dramas.
- Pinkett and Smith chose to keep their separation private while continuing to present themselves as a happily married couple.
- Despite their separation, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith still consider each other life partners valuing their family.
In promotion for her memoir Worthy, Jada Pinkett revealed that she and actor Will Smith have been secretly separated since 2016. The news was showcased on the Today show in a very candid and honest interview with Hoda Kotb. A sneak peek of the interview was released on October 11th, and the full interview was aired on October 13th. Fans were shocked by the news, especially considering all the past drama between Pinkett and Smith, which includes her affair and the infamous Oscar slap of Chris Rock.
Pinkett and Smith first met when Pinkett auditioned for a role on his show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in 1994. The couple got married in December 1997, and Pinkett was already pregnant with their first child. Though they claimed to have a solid relationship, recent scandals have altered the public’s view. Now, Jada Pinkett Smith claims she and Will Smith have been separated for seven years.
Jada Pinkett And Will Smith’s Separation Details Revealed
Jada Pinkett published her memoir Worthy on October 17th, 2023. Ahead of the release, Pinkett was doing press interviews to promote the book. Part of those press interviews included giving a sneak peek into what the memoir revealed about her life, including her relationship with husband Will Smith.
Pinkett sat down with Hoda Kotb to record a very personal and candid interview. The first preview of the interview was aired on the Today show on October 11th, and the full interview was released on October 13th.
The biggest revelation to come from the interview, which shocked the entire world, is that Pinkett claims to have been separated from Smith since 2016.
“Along the way, we’d had a lot of stop and go,” Pinkett told Kotb in the interview. “By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”
The information shocked the world, and rightfully so. Pinkett and Smith had always claimed to have a solid relationship. Over the years, they have both spoken about the secret to a long-lasting and happy married life. Pinkett has even gone on record saying divorce is never an option.
Fans of Pinkett and Smith were even more surprised when taking into consideration all the recent scandals. The “entanglement,” as Pinkett calls it, with August Alsina and the infamous slap of Chris Rock during the Oscars no longer made sense to fans.
Why did Pinkett and Smith sit down during her Red Table Talk series and discuss her affair with Alsina if they were separated this whole time? The interview certainly made it seem as if Smith had been greatly hurt by the affair.
Why did Smith call Pinkett his wife and slap Rock at the Oscars if they did not view each other as husband and wife?
Pinkett went on to explain their situation in the interview with Kotb.
Why Jada Pinkett Smith And Will Smith’s Separation Was Kept Private
One big question fans had after learning of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s separation was why they chose to keep it a secret.
Not only that, but throughout the years Pinkett and Smith had functioned as if they were still married. This included giving interviews about their relationship and discussing how their marriage is so successful.
“I think just not being ready yet,” Pinkett told Hoda Kotb during their interview.
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Pinkett claimed that in the beginning of their separation, she and Smith were “still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in a partnership. And, in regards to, ‘how do we present that to people,’ you know, we hadn’t figured that out.”
Smith and Pinkett chose to pretend as if they were still happily married and romantically involved in order to keep their situation private. Though they made this decision together, Pinkett was still surprised by Will Smith’s reaction to the jokes about her by Chris Rock during the Oscars.
In response to Rock’s comments, Smith called Pinkett his wife and proceeded to slap Rock on stage.
“Now first of all, I’m really shocked because, mind you, we haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time,” Pinkett said of the situation. “I’m like, ‘What is going on right now?'”
Though confusing for Pinkett, if they truly were attempting to keep their separation private, Smith may have only been continuing the storyline by defending Pinkett in this manner.
Are Will Smith And Jada Pinkett Smith Divorced?
Jada Pinkett Smith claims she and Will Smith have been separated for seven years, which is a very long time to remain legally married to a person if not romantically involved. Many celebrities get married and divorced during that span of time, but Pinkett and Smith have remained partners.
“We don’t want to,” Pinkett told Hoda Kotb during their tell-all interview. “We love our family. And we love each other. It’s more of a life partnership. Now, 10 years from now, Hoda, who knows?”
Pinkett affirms that she and Smith consider each other to be life partners even if they are no longer romantically involved. Pinkett and Smith live entirely separate lives, but they do consider each other to be family.
“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work though whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”
What Will Smith Thinks Of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Memoir ‘Worthy’
When Jada Pinkett Smith appeared on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, she was read a letter written by Will Smith about her memoir Worthy.
“I just turned the final page of Worthy,” Smith wrote to Pinkett. “It is amazing to realize that despite having lived most of my life by your side, I still found myself shocked and stunned and caught off guard, laughing, then inspired, then heartbroken. I was all over the place.”
It seems Will Smith may have meant this as a compliment.
“I know it wasn’t easy to excavate the depths in that way. I applaud and honor you,” Smith continued. “If I had read this book 30 years ago, I definitely would have hugged you more. I’ll start now.”
Smith also made an interesting post on Instagram following the release of Worthy, which showed him obviously ignoring all the notifications blowing up his phone.
It seems as of now, Will Smith is unbothered by what people think of his partnership with Jada Pinkett Smith.
