Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals She and Will Smith Had Been Separated for 6 Years Before 2022 Oscars
Jada Pinkett Smith is revealing where her marriage to Will Smith really stands.
In a new interview with People, the Girls Trip star said she had been separated from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum for six years before the 2022 Oscars.
"We're still figuring it out," Jada told the outlet in a profile published Oct. 11. "We've been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us."
The Academy Awards that year was a night neither of them will forget. Will slapped Chris Rock onstage at the event—where he won the Best Actor Oscar for his lead role in King Richard—after the comedian made a joke about Jada's shaved head.
"I thought, 'This is a skit,'" Jada, who lives with alopecia, recalled to the magazine. "I was like, 'There's no way that Will hit him.' It wasn't until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn't a skit."
Jada remembers asking her husband if he was OK after they were finally alone after the show, and she suggested he's still on his own journey.
"I'm going to be by his side," she added, "but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself."
After the slap, Will resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and was banned from its events for 10 years. He also apologized to Chris—calling the slap "unacceptable" and noting "there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment." And Will made it clear that Jada "had nothing to do" with his actions.
As for Chris, he referenced the slap during his 2023 Netflix comedy special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage and said that "nobody was pickin' on" Jada. And while the 52-year-old has stayed relatively quiet on the incident, she previously expressed her hope "that these two intelligent capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile."
Jada and Will tied the knot in 1997 following his divorce from Sheree Zampino, with whom he shares 30-year-old son Trey Smith.
"Will called me up one day and said, 'Hit me when you get to L.A.' and then ... click. And I was like, ‘Whoa. Okay,'" Jada told People. "And so when I got to L.A., I called him. I haven't been able to get rid of him since."
Over the years, the couple—who share kids Jaden Smith, 25, and Willow Smith, 22—have made headlines as they've navigated ups and downs of their relationship, including what Jada called in 2020 her "entanglement" with August Alsina.
In addition to opening up to People—with her also talking about her mental health journey and past suicidal ideations in the interview—she's telling her story in her upcoming book Worthy, which debuts Oct. 17.
"At the heart of this powerful book are two unexpected love stories," a press release for the book previously obtained by People stated, "one being Jada's complicated marriage to Will Smith, the other being the one with herself."
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
