Jada Pinkett Smith stunned fans earlier this month when she revealed she split from Will Smith in 2016 (Picture: Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic)
Jada Pinkett Smith said she ‘took on the narrative of adulterous wife’ because Will Smith ‘wasn’t ready to admit’ they were separated.
Jada, 52, stunned fans earlier this month when she revealed she quietly split from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor, 55, in 2016.
The actress has now revealed that during the 2020 Red Table Talk episode in which she referred to her years-long affair with August Alsina as ‘an entanglement,’ she and Will were actually meant to confirm to the world that they’d split.
At the time, Will responded to Jada by saying: ‘An entanglement? A relationship!’
Speaking in a new interview, Jada said she and Will were supposed to discuss their separation in the now-infamous episode, but Will ‘wasn’t ready for that’.
She went on to explain that her ‘co-dependency kicked in’ and she decided she wanted Will to ‘come out unscathed’ so ‘took on the narrative of adulterous wife’.
Jada said she and Will were supposed to discuss their separation in the now-infamous episode, but Will ‘wasn’t ready for that’ (Picture: Getty)
The A-lister told The Times this week: ‘You gotta remember where our relationship was at that time.
‘We were supposed to come to the table and go, “We are separated and we’re figuring it out”.’
She then added: ‘But Will wasn’t ready for that and so my co-dependency kicks in and I think, “I want you to come out of this as unscathed as possible.
‘”So if that means me taking on the narrative of adulterous wife, I’ll do it”.’
Jada has been doing the press rounds to promote her new tell-all memoir, Worthy (Picture: Jae C. Hong/Invision/AP)
Will stormed the stage at the Academy Awards last year after Chris Rock made a joke about Jada’s alopecia (Picture: Getty)
Jada has been doing the press rounds to promote her new tell-all memoir, Worthy.
In a separate interview, she revealed she was stunned when Will slapped Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars, not just because it was so unexpected, but also because he referred to her as his wife.
The King Richard actor stormed the stage at the Academy Awards last year after the comedian, 58, made a joke about Jada’s alopecia, warning him: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’
Jada and Will wed in 1997 (Picture: Getty)
Jada said she was shocked by Will’s remark because they ‘hadn’t called each other husband and wife in a long time’.
Reflecting on that infamous moment, she told Hoda Kotb in an NBC News primetime special: ‘First of all, I’m really shocked, because mind you, I’m not there. We haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time.
‘I’m like, “What is going on right now? Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth” I’m really worried for Will because I don’t know what’s going on.’
Will, who was given a 10-year ban from the Oscars, later apologised to Chris and admitted he was ’embarrassed’ by his actions.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Jada’s reps for comment.
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Jada got candid.