Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in an interview with Hoda Kotb that she and her husband Will Smith have been living “completely separate lives” since 2016. Despite not having legally divorced, Pinkett Smith described their situation as essentially a divorce without papers. The Hollywood power couple, married in 1997, shares two children, Willow and Jaden, and Smith has a son, Trey, from his first marriage.
This revelation surprised many, considering Pinkett Smith’s openness on her “Red Table Talk” series, where she and Smith addressed her extramarital relationship in 2020 and the infamous slap incident at the 2022 Academy Awards. Smith walked on stage and struck presenter Chris Rock after a joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair.
The full interview will air on an NBC News prime-time special on Oct. 13. Pinkett Smith’s memoir, “Worthy,” released on Oct. 17, promises more details about their lives and relationship, along with her upbringing in Baltimore.
She mentioned that by 2016, they were exhausted from trying, stuck in their fantasies of what they thought the other person should be. While divorce has been considered, Pinkett Smith hasn’t been able to go through with it, emphasizing her commitment to working through challenges.
In a People Magazine interview, she initially thought the slap was part of a skit, saying, “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.” Smith has apologized for the incident, receiving a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars or any other academy event.
