Jada Pinkett Separated From Will Smith for 7 Years

Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and her husband, Will Smith, decided to live completely separate lives starting in 2016.

The pair are Hollywood’s most famous couple and have been at the forefront of rumors, scandals, and controversy regarding their relationship. Jada Pinkett’s bombshell drop about her and Will’s relationship status might be what puts an end to all the rumors. Though the pair aren’t legally divorced but “live separately,” states the actress in her new memoir, Worthy as she discusses in a clip during a one-on-one preview interview with Hoda Kotb that aired on the Today Show.

Pinkett considered divorce at one point but ultimately never followed through. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce,” she mentions. “We will work through whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” she stated.

Since splitting in 2016, Pinkett admitted that the result of the breakup had many contributing factors, and she expressed that both she and Will were “stuck in a fantasy” of what they thought the other person should be. Eventually, it led to a point that both were “tired of trying,” and the pair decided to part ways.

Pinkett and Smith remained tight-lipped about the separation for several years, appearing in the spotlight as the perfect couple, but had a secret they weren’t ready to share, and she revealed why it took so long to share with the public.

“I think just not being ready yet,” she stated. “Still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership, right? And in regards to how do we present that to people you know? And we hadn’t figured that out,” she continued.

In 2020, Pinkett’s relationship was under scrutiny after she openly discussed her romantic involvement with Singer August Alsina during her Red Table Talk discussion with Will Smith. According to NBC, the singer opened up about his relationship with Pinkett, which prompted the conversation on the talk show.

Since then, the two haven’t been able to escape controversy. During the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Will Smith assaulted American Comedian Chris Rock across the face after he began a monologue proceeding to make a joke about Jada Pinkett’s shaved head.

Watch the exclusive interview here.