Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed that she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016.
She revealed this in a clip from her upcoming primetime special episode on NBC News with Hoda Kotb.
She added that they had not gone public with their separation because they were not ready at the time.
Jada also revealed that they are not divorced, but they have been living separate lives.
According to her they kept their separation private cos they were still trying to figure out their relationship dynamic and how best to move forward in their partnership.
She said,
“We were still trying to figure out between the two of us, how to be in partnership, How do we present that to people? We hadn’t figured that out.”
Jada Pinkett Smith mentioned that their marriage faced challenges because they were living in an illusion of who they wanted themselves to be.
By 2016, they both grew tired of trying to maintain that illusion.
Despite the difficulties, they haven’t proceeded with a divorce because of a promise they made to each other never to get divorced.
“Why it fractured, that’s a lot of things,” the actress stated, “I think by the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be. I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce, We will work through whatever, and I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”
Their rocky marriage
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s marriage has been the subject of public scrutiny for several years.
In 2020, Jada confessed to having had a sexual relationship with singer August Alsina while still married to Will during an episode of her talk show, Red Table Talk.
Their marriage faced another major public incident in 2021 when Will Smith slapped his long-time friend, Chris Rock, across the face on live television during the Oscars after Rock made a joke about Jada.
This surprising incident led to Will’s ban from Oscars events for 10 years, and he subsequently resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
The couple has two children together, Jaden Smith, who is 25 years old, and Willow Smith, who is 22 years old.
In her upcoming memoir, titled “Worthy,” Jada Pinkett Smith delves into more details about her marriage, her professional life, and her early years.