Jada Pinkett Smith and husband Will Smith have been living what she calls a “totally separate life” since 2016
go throughAssociated Press
October 11, 2023 10:49 am
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File
Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in an interview with Hoda Kotb that she and husband Will Smith have been living “completely separate lives” since 2016. The famous Hollywood couple married in 1997 and worked through their separation and marriage issues, but never specifically addressed the issue.
Although it’s not a legal divorce, Pinkett Smith told Kotb in a TODAY clip posted Wednesday that it’s essentially a divorce without papers. Smith and Pinkett Smith have two children, Willow and Jaden, as well as Smith’s son Trey from his first marriage.
Representatives for Smith and Pinkett-Smith did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Considering Pinkett Smith’s candidness on her “Red Table Talk” series (she and Smith talked about her affair in a 2020 episode) and the slap in the face at the 2022 Oscars, the news came as a surprise to many Be surprised. During the awards show, Smith infamously walked on stage and punched Chris Rock after host Chris Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair.
The full interview will air on an hour-long NBC News primetime special on October 13 at 8 p.m. ET. Pinkett Smith’s memoir “Worthy,” due out on October 17, promises more details about their life and relationship, as well as her experiences growing up in Baltimore.
She told Kotb, “By 2016, we were exhausted. I think we were both still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”
Pinkett Smith added that while she considered divorce, she was never able to go through with it.
“I promise we will never have a reason to divorce. We will work it out…no matter what,” she said.
In a new interview with People magazine, Pinkett Smith also said she initially thought the slap was part of a skit.
“I thought, ‘There’s no way Will will hit him,'” Pinkett Smith said. “It wasn’t until Will started walking back to his chair that I realized this wasn’t a skit.”
Smith has apologized multiple times for the incident, which resulted in him being banned from attending the Oscars or any other Academy event for 10 years.
