Jada Pinkett Smith gave exclusive interviews to People Magazine and the Today Show to promote her memoir, Worthy. The exclusives are Jada’s comments on a series of topics, from Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, to her suicidal depression to the fact that she and Will have been separated for seven years. Some highlights from her People cover story:
The Oscar slap: “I thought, ‘This is a skit.’ ” Like many people watching the incident unfold on live TV, she didn’t believe it was real at first. “I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him,’ ” Jada, 52, recalls. “It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit.” The first words she uttered to Will once they were alone after the show were “Are you okay?”
She’s on Will’s side: “I’m going to be by his side, but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.”
How she & Will started up: After meeting multiple times in passing — and once he got divorced from his first wife Sheree Zampino — he called Jada and asked, “Who are you going out with?” Replying that she was single, Will declared: “Well, you’re going out with me now.” Laughing at the recollection, Jada says, “Can you believe I fell for that?”
Her depression: “When I turned 40, I was in so much pain. I couldn’t figure a way out besides death. So I made a plan.” Jada is aware of how her life looked from the outside, especially about a decade ago. The glamour and the smiles, the mansion, gowns and movie premieres. The “they have it all” of it all. “But, while I was really living the dream, I hit a huge wall — a massive amount of depression. I think that I looked at having outside sources to supplement for the voids that I was feeling inside.” She said the “voices” were incoming. “‘Just kill yourself. You’re not worth anything, you ain’t s—.’ ” Jada began to plot her death. “I started looking for places, cliffs where I could have an accident, because I didn’t want my kids to think that their mother had committed suicide.”
Her marriage to Will: “We’re still figuring it out,” Jada says of the state of their marriage. She says they had been separated for six years before the Oscars in 2022. “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.”
Her children: “My children, they’re little gurus. They’ve taught me a deep sense of self-acceptance. They love every part of me,” she says of Jaden, 25, Willow, 22, and Trey, 30. “The level of love, unconditional love that they have for me and their dad. And it’s one thing to want to be the person that gives that unconditional love. And then there’s, to be the recipient of that.”
I feel so sorry for her that things got so dark for her that she was forming a plan. That’s awful. She speaks in depth about that and how she overcame it with medication, time, love, self-love and drugs. As for her separation from Will… I mean, that’s not a shock, at all. There were stretches of time where they were both acting single and their marriage seemed in tatters, then a year would pass and they were loved-up on a red carpet. I can totally understand why Jada was by his side during his Oscar campaign – she still loves him and he probably asked her to. And for it to all blow up like that on Oscar night… wow.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of People.
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- Oscar® nominee Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673515422, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673515557, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Oscar® nominee Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive on the red carpet of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at the Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673567160, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 30: American actor Will Smith and wife/American actress Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Apple Original Films’ ‘Emancipation’ held at Regency Village Theatre on November 30, 2022 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 741566044, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 30: American actor Will Smith and wife/American actress Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Apple Original Films’ ‘Emancipation’ held at Regency Village Theatre on November 30, 2022 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 741566077, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” Los Angeles premiere at Regency Village Theatre on November 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 741616785, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 30: Jada Pinkett Smith attends Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” Los Angeles premiere at Regency Village Theatre on November 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 741617442, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jada Pinkett Smith, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
YiKes. This explains so much.
I really hope they work it out. I like them both.
Yes, that was my reaction too. You just have no idea what people – even rich, famous and beautiful ones – are going through behind the scenes.
They need to figure out how to be together or split. This situation of them being in limbo isn’t working. Will is clearly still in love and she apparently sees him as a friend. They also both need to stop oversharing.
^^ The thing is @Ana170, no one, especially not commenters on social media, get to tell anyone outside of their own selves what to do, what to share, what not to share, how to live their lives, or how to deal with deep depression and the vicissitudes of living. When someone shares the innermost emotions of their heart and the anguish of their individual journey, the best we can do is to be open-minded, willing to learn something, willing to be compassionate and supportive, or willing to choose silence and personal reflection over harsh, judgemental directives, and fingerpointing.
She needs to stop stringing will sling and just end things
@aftershocks
I really appreciate your comment. It’s open and humane.
Funny how some people can’t live with ambiguity—even in other people’s lives.
I’m glad she is finally speaking on her own behalf. People really tried to villainize her – and continue to do so – for the slap, for her and Will’s separation, all of it. Misogynoir is real. I’m glad she is in a better place mentally and emotionally. As for her and Will. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they stayed together and never divorced. They seem to have found what works for them and it’s clear that there is still deep love and respect between them.
Agreed.
I’m praying for them both and think its important that they both can tell their stories in the ways that they want. Chris Rock still sucks.
^^ Agreed @Girl_Ninja. 💯 🙌🏾
I think at some point it’s ok to call it quits. I felt bad for her, because she was blamed for his terrible behavior. Like it’s been 7 years and you guys still can’t be together. Maybe it’s just done.
I think it’s not up to us to decide when other people should divorce.
People talk a lot about patience and mindfulness and “being in the moment” being good things, but there’s apparently a clock on all that. You’ve got to “move on” 🙄
Sorry for the snark but this is real for me. My ex wanted a divorce so I gave it to him. Months later he wanted to reconcile. Obv complicated. We have a child. The glib “don’t stay together for a child” purists ignore how hard it is to prioritize your happiness at the expense of your child’s. (And yes if Dad is really great, not just “fun dad” but someone who shows up, cooks, cleans, is *there* in every way – Wednesday and ever other weekend isn’t enough. There is a tradeoff.)
What looks like limbo to others (“you still haven’t decided!?! Move on!! Sh*t or get off the pot!!!”) has been years of slow, hard work – unraveling what went wrong, where we misunderstood each other, how we hurt each other, can we build trust, what does that even look like, what does love mean or look like for us.
It’s two steps forward two steps back most of the time, but there is so much growth. It’s just not in the direction that other people can see/want to see/are used to seeing. The impatience is really something.
@Lurker25 Thank you for breaking this down in such a thoughtful way. It isn’t always easy to “just move on” from any relationship, but especially one in which Jada spent half her life and still cares for her partner. And most relationships don’t have all bad times or good times in a row. I imagine that it can be hard to let go If there are good moments even when the parties are generally unhappy. That’s why some relationships take years to end.
Whatever you decide, I wish you well on your difficult journey with your ex.
I am a proponent of “don’t stay together for the kids” because I was a kid who lived through it. I lived in that limbo for more than 3 years as an adolescent and it was torture. However, if you are a couple who is actively working on your marriage, such as going to therapy, I don’t consider that limbo. You’re at least trying to make some progress in whichever direction. But there are people like my parents who just sleep in separate rooms and basically stop talking to each other and think that’s an acceptable environment to raise their children in until the kids are old enough to leave the house. In my case, if I could have left home at 12 or 13 to escape my parents’ marriage, then I would have jumped at the chance.
I just broke up, actually I got dumped because he was scared of being hurt (his words) and while he said he loved me he was too scared… he run away in tears seriously. In that moment I realised that it takes two.
I saw the couple, and I was like “let’s talk about this, we love the hell out of each other we can figure it out together” but he only saw himself.
So if they think their couple is worth the effort they can take all the time the need to figure it out.
This is really very precious and insightful look into the marriage and dynamic between the two people. Thank you for sharing such a private and sensitive stuff. It gave me a new perspective.
I was just saying it’s ok to let things go. Not that they have to. This doesn’t seem to be fruitful for either of them and If i could guess it is stunting them. They are living separate lives. I am glad you were able to work out your relationship and children are a factor. I agree with you that when people say don’t stay together for the children it’s kind of obtuse. LIke, sometimes that is a great reason to work things out. Every situation is different. I was a loyal watcher of Red Table Talk and honestly Jada seems very over Will. Like she can’t help but show that. He’s probably a lot to deal with behind all that charisma That’s just an observation and really know knows what goes on behind closed doors. Jada took a lot of crap for the slap. I appreciate her speaking her own truth.
The cameras showed her saying something to Will right before he gets up to slap Chris so why is she lying thinking it was a skit.
She could have been saying ANYTHING to him at that time. Why do you jump to her being a liar immediately?
Oof, Fabiola— speaking if misogynoir…
She could have said “where are you going?” or any number of things. Even if she said “Chris is a hurtful bastard,” it doesn’t mean she knew or wanted or hoped he’d walk up there.
That your mind jumped to that conclusion is about you, not her. I hope you take a moment to contemplate why you assumed.
So when people were saying they have an open relationship they were actually separated. It still seems that they have a lot of love for each other and I’m glad Jada has a chance to tell her side of the story. I like both her and Will.
But didn’t that narrative come from her? She had her own show where she aired all of her laundry. I’m not sure why she wouldn’t have been able to tell her side before now
Yes! idk how everyone is forgetting this. “Taking over her own narrative” apparently means re-inventing it.
What is the distinction between “open” and “separate” that is so massive that y’all feel like you caught her in a lie?
It’s her relationship and she gets to choose the words she wants to put on it.
Smdh
Thank God I am not a celebrity. You say one thing years ago and everyone holds you to it forever as if there is no room to process or see it differently later on or just straight up change your mind. It could be just the label she used. A lot of people might view dating other people while separated as an “open relationship.”
She had sex with her son’s best friend. A young man who Jada herself acknowledged was struggling severely with his health and mental illness at the time that she decided to get involved with.
How do you go from emotionally fostering a young man to getting into an “entanglement” with him?
What a disgusting double standard people hold men and women to in situations like this.
Jada is using the narrative of “empowerment” to avoid taking accountability for her actions on more than a surface level.
yep, that Red Table Talk with her and Will about her “entanglement” is available for anyone to see on Youtube. Her insistence on referring to it as an “entanglement” in the face of a relationship with a vulnerable young person whose own words suggest he saw their relationship in a more serious light struck me as deeply selfish on her part.
@Sandra, she WHAT? Jesus
People do not like her. I’ve always been pretty neutral about Jada. Im glad she not throwing will under the bus. Chris deserve every bit of that smack. 7yrs separated…. thats a long a time
I’m going to have to disagree with the idea that people “deserve” physical violence. Chris Rock is a POS but this isn’t the forking Roman Coliseum.
Chris Rock was publicly bi*ch-slapped by Will at the Oscars after publicly dissing Jada and Will on numerous occasions, and after being privately asked by Will to lay-off the harassment, especially against Jada. I still remember CR’s nasty ‘joke,’ as host of the 2016 boycotted Oscars, against Jada (that pettily included mentioning “Rihanna’s panties” 🙄).
It is not a good thing that Will snapped. For Will’s sake, I wish he had found a better, more effective way of publicly calling out CR for his egregious, unrelenting attacks disguised as ‘jokes.’ However, as @BarbieM said, “Chris Rock deserved every bit of that [open-handed] smack.” It was NOT a fist punch, which is why deplorable instigator CR, physically rebounded from it so quickly.
Yep, Will Smith is very imposing at full height, and in his fit of righteous, fed-up anger. But come on now @Grant, in no way is Will Smith a ‘fcuking Roman Colosseum’ lion. 🦁 Will was more like a wronged, riled-up teddy bear. 🧸
@aftershocks …who should have stayed in his seat, stewed, and realized this was a POS comedian doing a bit. Or confronted Chris Rock off-camera. Or given a statement excoriating Chris Rock in the press. Instead he chose to walk on-stage and physically strike someone because they said words about his wife. I just don’t think violence like that is ever justified (and neither does the Penal Code). The fact that Will Smith wasn’t arrested is astonishing to me; I’m also astonished at all these people who think Will Smith was justified in striking another person IN THE FACE. Are public figures now justified in going around and meteing out physical justice to all their naysayers?
I stopped liking them after it was revealed their school was a Scientology school, and that they donate money to groups associated with Scientology. A lesser reason was reading about the idiotic things their kids said, which really confirmed it for me, as that is the type of cr@p Scientologists say thinking it makes them sound profound. (Example — “Because your mind has a duality to it. So when one thought goes into your mind, it’s not just one thought, it has to bounce off both hemispheres of the brain. When you’re thinking about something happy, you’re thinking about something sad. When you think about an apple, you also think about the opposite of an apple. It’s a tool for understanding mathematics and things with two separate realities”)
(If she has emotional/mental issues, being under the influence of Scientology is the opposite of what she needs)
I hope she finds peace. They need to divorce. She talks about all her pain and good for her for getting it out there if that is what she needs to do.
Will needs to divorce her. This marriage has clearly been wearing on him, too. He has lost his damn mind trying to keep/please a woman who clearly doesn’t love or respect him anymore (if she ever did). Will needs to focus on Will and figuring out why he chose to stay in this type of marriage and how to manage his emotions better.
I am not team Jada or Will but I am team divorce now so you can both heal.
So if they’ve been separated all this time, what was all that about her having “an affair” with that other guy? It’s not an affair if you’re separated, it’s a relationship.
I really feel for her and the struggles she’s been dealing with, it’s brave to speak up about her depression and mental health.
@lucy2 the issue was not that she had an affair is that she got into a sexual relationship with a very young friend of her son that was in need of mentorship. She is the one that didn’t want to call it a relationship. That she didn’t let Will know it was a real commitment and she kept trying to squirrel out of admitting that fact. He just felt that it was inappropriate I feel and that he also didn’t know she wanted to have it both ways, stay with Will and keep things in Limbo and have an actual relationship. Will thought they were still working it out and that they were telling each other everything. She then tried to justify it by acting like it was unavoidable while still saying it wasn’t an actual commitment. She twisted Will into a pretzel on that one. She is a narc.
The scariest part of all the mean things you just said is “I feel”…. You’ve created a whole narrative in your head and Jada is the narc because of it? Wow!
Be kind and do better. Stay safe everyone
Saying we are separated sounds better than being in an open marriage
Sorry to hear that her life at one point became so dark that she wanted out permanently. Wishing her love and light.
7 years is a long time to be separated, unless the couple is really divorced in all but the paperwork. It sounds like either they both knew they might want to get back together at some point so they kept their options open OR they really were “divorced” but never filed the paperwork because of the hit to their image and family and really just decided to reunite because they bonded over the Oscar slap. Either way, I really like them and I hope they can be happy together in the long term. It’s brave to come out with this stuff when you’re still processing it and take on the public’s view which is so often…not kind. It sounds strange but I think these arrangements are more common than you think among the common folk. I had a friend whose parents lived in separate countries for 15 years and never saw each other, but she insisted that they were together. One day another friend made a blunt comment that her dad must have a second family and she was so upset. Some people who profess to be so liberal-minded can be so judgmental, especially when judging wealthy celebrities behind our little screens.
Thank you for this comment. 💯 agree. Also a bit personal for me (see my post above) so really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Especially with so many comments doing exactly what you describe. So many mind readers and lie detectors among us today! 🫠
We should be friends! I posted on both your comments above before I saw that you posted on mine!
@it really is you, not me:
I’m just seeing this! And yes! We should!
(Wish CB had a DM function 🤗😄)
This is what it means to stand by each other through the good times and the bad times.
Jada is not an honest person. She’s changed her story multiple times about a lot of things, and she and Will have a really messed up relationship. The thing with August Alsina was gross, and Will slapping Chris Rock was gross too, even if Chris deserved it. It’s all just a bit too much and a lot of attention seeking behavior.
Right there with you. I want to use the MIB memory eraser to forget everything I know about these two.
Baily,
I agree completely!!
Agreed with everything you said. All parties involved kind of give me the ick.
Yup, also all the re-writing of history. She was pist off and did NOT think it was a skit. Wasn’t it because she is sensitive about her hair condition ? That is that biggest lie she has told so far. She was angry at what Chris said and made sure Will took the brunt of her death stare and that is why Will did it. Now she wants Will to be a lunatic that did this out of nowhere and that she was concerned for him ? *he is but in this situation she had part in it* Its all on camera. She is a piece of work. Run Will run!!!
Completely agree, what she did to August was absolutely god awful. How can you sleep with your sons best friend who’s like 22, relies on your family for care, and has serious mental health and addiction issues? And then just brush it under the carpet and pretty much call August a liar on the Red Table Talk trying to make it seem like it was no big deal, just an “entanglement”.
She’s also been awful to Will for years, belittling him and crying over how she hated being married, being pregnant, and now whe’s burdening her children with her previous suicidal thoughts feeling sorry for herself. She’s a narcissist if I ever saw one, she has no accountability or emotional empathy.
Completely agree. Not a fan, although I feel for her and her struggles, just as a human being. As for Will slapping Chris, NOBODY deserves to be slapped like that.
Nobody deserves to be publicly harassed for years either by a comic who hides behind jokes, when in fact he’s just, angry, bitter, and jealous, with a decades long hard-on for Jada.
Thank you for voicing this. One horrible thing about people with narcissistic traits is that they often instrumentalize depression to evoke sympathy. I hate that this is possible. There has been so much manipulative behaviour openly visible and some of the red table talks were downright destructive. Depression is a horrible pain that we have thankfully embraced as an acceptable problem in our society. Unfortunately there will always be very self-centered people who may abuse this notion. I am not saying this from my view as a psychologist but as someone with narcisstic family members who conveniently declared themselves depressed and suicidal when they needed attention or pity or when they felt someone else around them was actually depressed and would soon receive attention and love instead. I don’t know Jada’s story but her former righteousness doesn’t scream depressed phase to me. Also why talk about this now. I would have thought that Will would be going through such a thing right now, not her.
She’s talking about this now because she has a book to sell.
Separated for 7 years but just saying so now even though she’s had her own platform for years? How do we determine what’s truth from her? Or Will for that matter. Lying, posing, scheming publicly for so long is of course bound to be depressing. Involving her husband and kids in the mess is not okay. Hope she gets the help she needs to become an authentic person living an authentic life. And I don’t know but maybe a break from the public performance that is her life would be wise.
@Southern Fried and @Baily too. Thank you! No one on this site ever mentions that Will and Jada almost destroyed a showcase for non-white technical talent in Hollywood. It must have taken years to get the white male Hollywood establishment to agree to it. So Will & Jada decided their psycho-sexual drama was more important than opportunities for thousands of people of color. I got two more points and then I will return to lurking. 1) Ya’ll don’t want to hear this but Chris Rock was the hero of the evening. Chris, as a self-possed adult who understood the stakes, led that broadcast to a successful conclusion by managing the technical, political, and performance issues the incident created. That is leadership. 2) Physical assault is NEVER acceptable and certainly not behind a poor joke. (I am amazed that I need to say this on a forum dominated by women.) Will chose to act out violently and was smug about it. Maybe he can lead you, but he can’t lead me around a corner.
Nope. It was Chris Rock and the white establishment Academy who are largely to blame. Jada and Will supported the #OscarsSoWhite movement in 2016, while Chris Rock crossed the picket line to host, and to serve his masters like a good ole Uncle Tom, by publicly and nastily dissing both Jada and Will during his pissy, self-serving hosting gig intro.
FYI– It was largely as a result of the #OscarsSoWhite movement, which Will & Jada supported, that the 2022 Oscars ceremony ultimately included more non-white talents, on-camera and in BTS roles.
In my opinion, ‘Enough already’ with the Oscar ceremony’s unfunny digs and inane, boring skits largely targeted against nominees and their guests! Jada was there to support her husband. They had sat there for several hours, as nominees do, sweating and forcing laughs and smiles. Everyone knew Will was practically a shoo-in finally, to win the Best Actor Oscar that year (tho’ it isn’t a guarantee until the envelope is opened and the winner’s name announced). So right, 10 minutes before the Best Actor award is announced, here comes Chris f*ing Rock and his self-serving, unscripted and unnecessary droning on with petty, so-called jokes, in particular the huge insult against Jada for her medical condition. 👀🤯💩
Why was Chris Rock even invited to be there at all, and especially as a presenter, ten minutes before the Best Actor award was announced, with Will Smith the front-runner to win?? 🤔🙄
Wow. Just…WOW.
I can’t even…
Your comments…
WOW.
@Ana Luc: “Ya’ll don’t want to hear this but Chris Rock was the hero of the evening. Chris, as a self-possed adult who understood the stakes, led that broadcast to a successful conclusion by managing the technical, political, and performance issues the incident created. That is leadership.”
Wow, that’s your definition of heroic leadership. Okay. 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂🤪🤡
The only leaders I spied on camera that evening were Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry. And Will Smith handled his Oscar acceptance speech as best he could under the circumstances of having blown up after being triggered one time too many by Chris Rock’s public dissing.
Meanwhile, CR admirably recovered after a stinging, open-handed bi*ch slap. Ballyhoo. 🙄 Subsequently, CR escaped backstage to lick his ego wounds, and to figure out the lay of the land. He remained fairly silent while pondering how he was going to handle the fallout on all sides, particularly in terms of what to say, and when and how to punch back and possibly monetize with continued dissing. 🤑
There is a particular history amongst Jada, Will, and CR, going back years. Will had privately asked CR to stop publicly dissing him and his wife, to no avail. Thus, no one should be blaming only Will and Jada for what happened. CR and the Academy honchos deserve their full share of blame too.
I took it as their relationship evolved from husband and wife to best friends. I don’t know if they have a dead bedroom. Or they drift back and forth from each other. Pursuing other relationships quietly. Or not so quietly recently. Maybe they are just each other’s safety blankets in life.
Always hard to tell what is the truth and not with these two.
I can also imagine they have a very intertwined life financially. May be easier to just live separately than go through the painful process of dividing it all. If neither has any interest in marrying again.
I’m sorry to hear she was suffering from such deep depression and I’m really glad she’s in a better place with that now.
Seven years is a long time to be separated. It seems to me like they might both be better off ending the marriage and moving on. They would always be a part of each others lives because of their kids, but the kids are adults now. But it’s their life and marriage, so I hope it works out for both of them whatever they decide.
This explains so much, and I’m feeling like there’s a lot with them both that we don’t know (and that they don’t need to tell us). Honestly it’s all very sad. It sounds like they both have a lot of healing to do.
Related note: for some reason just yesterday I was thinking about Will Smith and the slap and the millions of bad takes on it. I felt back then and I feel now that what we should have been saying at the time was “oh my God, is Will Smith okay?” That was such a wild thing to do, obviously. And there was so much lacking in terms of empathy. And now this story comes out…I don’t know, it’s all very sad.
I think it was pretty wild, and incredibly entitled, to bum-rush a stage and physically assault someone on national television. Chris Rock is a POS but so are Will and Jada, IMO. I don’t have a lot of empathy for anyone in this situation.
Agreed, but I also think context matters and this was a grown man slapping a grown man, If the context was different (say, a man slapped a child) I would not be saying this. I work at a College and see students with a whole host of issues, and (like many) live in a city with a lot of homeless people and people clearly hurting. I have empathy and compassion on the brain for people who are struggling.
Replying to Grant…Yup. Anyone else (non-famous, etc) would have been arrested for assault. People are struggling all over the world but they don’t get to just randomly knock people in the head.
Hmm, I personally don’t think there’s anything ‘entitled’ about snapping in public. I doubt such a person is in full possession of their wits, logic, and judgment, much less having the capacity in such a moment, to feel a sense of entitlement. More likely, it was an enraged and embarrassing (after-the-fact) sense of ill-advised revenge.
@Grace, Chris Rock was not “knocked in the head.” He was slapped on the face.
@aftershocks You don’t think there’s a supreme sense of entitlement to think that because of mere words, you’re justified in walking on-stage in front of millions and slapping someone in the face? People have called me horrible names all my life as a gay person but I’ve never once felt justified in responding with violence. Because some @$$hole comedian cracked a few jokes about your wife, you think you can get up there and mete out discipline for all the world to see?
Yeah, it reads very entitled to me. Any other non-famous layperson would have been arrested. The penal code does not authorize the use of force in retaliation for mere words.
I love Jada as an actress, I do not know her but wish the best for her. I wished she did not speak on this..
It is none of my business..
When everyone defended Will for his embarrassing actions at the Oscars because “people are sooo uncomfortable seeing him support his wife” I called BS. I feel validated. I still don’t think he did it *for* Jada, he did it because he has felt emasculated for years and this is how he tried to get his manhood back. He is an egotistical jerk. Jada is selfish and self-important.
Wait, you feel validated how??? You think because they’re separated that will doesn’t care about the mother of his children anymore??? That he wouldn’t be compelled to defend her honor after years of her being mocked? This makes me so sad…you and others—it just seems like y’all have never experienced true and loyal love. FYI, the urge to defend the honor of someone you’ve deeply loved at some point in your life doesn’t just vanish when you’re no longer together.
Oh yes, I’ve definitely experienced deep and true love. I am still appalled by anyone who uses violence as a response or a way to dominate others. I think Will did what he did because his pride was hurt. The narrative people, especially here, tried to paint where Will and Jada were this wonderful positive example of love and standing up for each other, (“you can’t stand to see a man who loves his wife enough to do that”) remains laughable to me, even more so now.
Why can’t they just stay married (ie longterm committed partners) and live separately? Why the pressure to “move on” or “make a clean break”? As a boring heteronormative married person, I’m actually surprised at how heteronormative these responses are. They have said openly that they are 1) staying married and 2) defining for themselves what committed partnership means to them. Everyone assumed that meant “open marriage” or “swingers”, but maybe it means exactly that they don’t feel the need to “shit or get off the pot”, but instead feel free and open to decide what that means for them. Why SHOULD they have to live together OR divorce? Be celibate OR sexually together? They have money, power, multiple houses, mutual love and respect, kids in common… why do they have to live June Cleaver’s marriage if they BOTH mutually don’t want to?
It seems to me some people here resent the wide open options these people have, and are determined to make them live by the restrictions and norms most of us do.
I personally would love to have the option to redefine “marriage” as whatever my partner and I AGREE that it is…
I think it’s because they seem sadly toxic, and hurting themselves & others. (Chris Rock slap, “entanglement”, Red Table interview, etc).
I like Jada in Scream 2. Now her face looks like she’s from Star Trek.
Violence begats Violence no matter WHAT form that violence is wrapped in (verbal/emotional/physical/financial/psychological) so that’s that for me regarding the “slap” 😬… And I know folks who have been separated FOR DECADES…folks in my generation…my Mama’s & my Grandparents…it happens…marriage means different things to different folks…so for me…I didn’t even BLINK when Jada thoughtfully confirmed what everybody & they Mama knew