Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed that she was involved with an entirely unexpected celebrity.
At 52, Jada is a well-known American actress, singer, and talk show host, famous for her roles in “The Nutty Professor,” the “Madagascar” animated series, and “Girls Trip.”
She has been married to iconic actor Will Smith since 1997, and the couple has two children: Jaden, 26, and Willow, 23.
Over the past few years, their marriage has come under significant public scrutiny.
This scrutiny reached a peak when Will Smith made headlines around the world by slapping comedian and actor Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
The incident occurred after Rock, who was presenting the ceremony, made a joke about Jada’s bald head, likening her to Demi Moore’s character in the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane.”
Jada, who has openly discussed her struggles with alopecia—an ailment where the immune system attacks hair follicles leading to hair loss—was the subject of Rock’s joke.
Rock quipped, “Jada, can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2,” which led to Smith walking onto the stage, to the shock of everyone, and hitting him.
Upon returning to his seat, Smith shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”
Strangely, the evening concluded with Smith receiving the Best Actor award for his performance in “King Richard.” Yet, this event was largely overshadowed by the infamous slap, which should have been a defining achievement in his career.
After the incident, Smith was prohibited from attending any events by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a decade.
The Academy remarked that the ceremony had been ‘overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.’
This incident is not the sole controversy the couple has encountered, with some suggesting that there was an even larger scandal before the Oscars.
From 2018 to 2023, Jada ran a talk show on Facebook with her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and daughter, Willow, called “Red Table Talk.”
The show, which featured interviews with various guests and discussions on numerous subjects, gained massive attention in 2020 during an episode that was particularly revealing.
In that episode, Jada and Smith engaged in a deeply personal conversation where Jada confessed to having an affair.
Jada became involved with hip-hop and R&B artist August Alsina, who is now 31 years old.
She explained, “It all started with him just needing some help, me wanting to help his health, his mental state.”
“The outpouring for him from our family was initially about his health.”
“We found all those different resources to help pull him through and from there you and I were going through a very difficult time.”
The actress mentioned that their relationship had since ended.
During the talk show, Jada and Smith addressed rumors that Smith had consented to the affair.
“One of the things I want to clear up that was kind of swirling in the press was you giving permission, which the only person who can give permission in that particular circumstance is myself,” Jada clarified.
She continued, “But what August was actually trying to communicate – because I could actually see how he would perceive it as permission because we were separated amicably – I think he also wanted to make it clear that he’s not a homewrecker, which he’s not.”
Then, in 2023, Jada revealed yet another startling detail.
The actress disclosed that she and Smith had been leading ‘completely different’ lives since 2016.
During a primetime special on NBC News with Hoda Kotb, she shared (as reported by Today), “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce.”
“We will work through whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”
In another conversation with People magazine, Jada elaborated: “We’re still figuring it out.”
“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.”
Smith responded to the revelation in an email to The New York Times: “When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life, a sort of emotional blindness sets in, and you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties.”