Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s almost-20-year marriage has been an Internet hot topic for some time. The couple’s revelations on their union have constantly made headlines, particularly over the past few years, where they’ve publicly addressed everything from cheating allegations to presumed “toxic” behavior.
Although the Smiths formerly put on a strong front throughout all the noise, during her press tour for her new memoir Jada recently revealed that she and Will have actually been separated since 2016. The Set It Off actress shared that the couple were “exhausted with trying,” and were only maintaining a public image of being together. Even though the former power couple have separated, they’re reportedly not looking for a divorce.
The news evidently sent social media into a frenzy, with many users recalling Jada’s entanglement with August Alsina and expressing confusion at Will’s Oscar stunt in defense of his “wife.” While the news does come as a shock, eagle-eyed fans will notice that the couple have actually been hinting at their separation for some time.
In an episode of Tidal’s Rap Radar podcast, the legendary actor revealed that he and Jada do not say they are married anymore. “We refer to ourselves as life partners, where you get into that space where you realize you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life,” Smith said. “There’s no deal breakers. There’s nothing she could do — ever. Nothing […] would break our relationship. She has my support till death, and it feels so good to get to that space.”
The two have been married since 1997 and share two children: Jaden, 25, and Willow, 22. Here’s a complete timeline of Jada and Will’s relationship, from the couple’s early days to their recent revelations.
The pair first meet during an audition
Date: 1994
The Smiths first met during an audition for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1994. At the time, Will was married to Sheree Zampino, who he has a son with, Trey. In an episode of Red Table Talk, Jada made it clear that the couple never had an affair while Will was still with Sheree, and only connected following their split. During the episode, Will chimed in to mention that he had his eyes on Jada ever since he saw her in As the World Turns.
The couple make things official
Date: 1995
Following Will’s split from Sheree, Will reconnected with Jada, and the couple officially started seeing each other. They had their first red carpet debut as a couple during the Devil in a Blue Dress premiere in September 1995. In that same episode of Red Table Talk, the couple recounted their early days together, with Will revealing that as soon as he found out that Jada was single he said, “Cool, you’re seeing me now.” Some pretty serious rizz if you ask us.
The Smiths tie the knot
Date: 1997
Will proposed to Jada in 1997 while the two were in bed. Jada would later recount that she found out they were pregnant with their first child, Jaden, the day after Will’s proposal. The two officially tied the knot on New Year’s Eve in 1997.
The Smiths welcome two children
Date: 1998–2000
The pair welcomed their first child together, Jaden, on July 8, 1998. The couple then had a daughter, Willow, on Oct. 31, 2000. Jaden and Willow have since followed in their parents’ footsteps, carving out their own places in the entertainment industry.
The couple clap back at rumors on their marriage
Date: 2013–15
In 2013, rumors on Will and Jada having an open relationship started circulating, prompting Jada to write on Facebook, “Will and I both can do whatever we want, because we trust each other to do so. This does not mean we have an open relationship…this means we have a grown one.”
Two years later, in 2015, the couple faced another wave of rumors, but this time it was about their supposed divorce. For this round, Will took to Facebook, clarifying, “Under normal circumstances, I don’t usually respond to foolishness. But so many people have extended me their ‘deepest condolences’ that I figured - ‘What the hell…I can be foolish, too!’ So, in the interest of redundant, repetition, over & over-again-ness…Jada and I are not getting a divorce.”
He continued, “I promise you all - if I ever decide to divorce my Queen - I swear I’ll tell you myself.”
Rumors swirl regarding August Alsina and Jada
Date: 2019
When Alsina released his song “Nunya” in 2019, he sent the rumor mill into overdrive with the song’s suggestive lyrics, which hinted at a secret love affair between him and Jada. “You got me feeling like it was an act, you’re just an actress/Putting on a show ’cause you don’t want the world to know,” he sang. The song’s music video fueled more fire to the flame for featuring text messages from a love interest named “Koren,” Jada’s middle name.
Alsina went on to deny the allegations via Instagram. “Here’s To Clarity, The Song is not about Jada. It’s simply JUST A SONG, & a free artistic expression of a made-up narrative already put in place by its ORIGINAL format,” per XXL. “Thank you for all of your love around the music & more is to come, but please know that Me & my BEST (@jadapinkettsmith) are good!!! & We will always be 4Life!”
A year before, the “I Luv This Shit” singer sat down on Pinkett Smith’s Facebook show, speaking about his addiction battle.
Alsina gets candid about his affair with Pinkett Smith
Date: 2020
In 2020, the Smiths’ seemingly blissful married life blew up after Alsina revealed that he had an affair with Jada, contradicting his 2019 statement, during an interview with Angela Yee. He also spoke of falling in love with the actress in 2015.
The star clarified that his and Jada’s relationship was not a secret affair. “I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation. He gave me his blessing,” Alsina told Yee. “And I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really, deeply loved and have a ton of love for [Pinkett Smith],” he continued. “I devoted myself to it. I gave my full self to it. So much so that I can die right now and be OK knowing that I fully gave myself to somebody. Some people never get that in this lifetime.”
He further noted how difficult it would be for people to understand. “Once it starts to affect me and my livelihood, I have to speak up about my truth. Walking away from it butchered me—it almost killed me. Not almost, it did. It pushed me into being another person. It broke me down. It probably will be the hardest thing I ever had to experience in this lifetime. It’s difficult because I never want to be the person to cause confusion or step on toes, but I want to honor myself, and I want to honor my authenticity. And if honoring my authenticity means you hate me, stone me, shoot me, crucify me, whatever, bury me an honest man.”
As the news broke, Pinkett Smith told Page Six that Alsina’s claims were “absolutely not true.”
Will and Jada sit down for a vulnerable Red Table Talk
Date: 2020
After August’s declaration, Jada sat down with her husband, Will, for a special Red Table Talk episode discussing her relationship with the singer.
She revealed that she and August had a relationship in 2015, while she and Will were separated. “I was done with you,” Will said. “We decided that we were going to separate for a period of time, and you go figure out how to make yourself happy, and I’ll try to figure out how to make myself happy. I really felt like we could be over.”
She explained her side of the story, referring to her affair with Alsina as an “entanglement.”
“It was a relationship. I was in a lot of pain. I was very broken. In the process of that relationship, I definitely realized that you can’t find happiness outside of yourself. Luckily enough, you and I were also going through a process in a much different matter,” she disclosed.
She added, “I would definitely say we did everything that we could to get away from each other, only to realize that that wasn’t possible.” Pinkett Smith discussed her reasoning behind the relationship: "I just wanted to feel good. It had been so long since I felt good. It was really a joy to help heal somebody.” Will further confirmed that he did give August a “blessing” to be with his wife.
Will reveals all in his memoir
Date: 2021
In his highly anticipated memoir, Will, the actor touched upon his marriage with Jada. He revealed the trials and tribulations they faced in their union, saying that it “wasn’t working.” In a subsequent interview with GQ, the Oscar winner admitted that his wife wasn’t the only one having sexual relations with other people.
He also spoke on the dynamic of their marriage. “Jada never believed in conventional marriage. [She] had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So, she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection,” Smith said. “We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road to anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”
The Oscars fiasco
Date: 2022
The 2022 Academy Awards will go down in history as one of the most bizarre ceremonies ever. Millions at home watched Will Smith slap Chris Rock in the face, after the host joked about Pinkett Smith’s struggles with alopecia, saying she was set to play in a G.I. Jane sequel.
As viewers gasped, wondering if the slap was an outlandish skit, Rock responded, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.” Will retorted back, saying, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
The night continued with Smith winning the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in King Richard.
Jada reveals the two have been separated since 2016
Date: 2023
In a recent interview with Hoda Kotb, the 52-year-old confirmed that she and Will have been separated since 2016. The news came as a shock to many, with Pinkett Smith further sharing that the two had been facing marital problems for quite some time, leading to their seven-year separation. She also mentioned that the pair are leading “completely separate lives.”
“Why it fractured, that’s a lot of things,” Jada stated. “I think by the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”
In the interview, she also mentions that she and Will have been unable to bite the bullet and file for divorce. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through whatever. I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” said Pinkett Smith.
Jada then addressed Will’s 2022 Oscars slap, disclosing that she was shocked to hear him calling her his “wife” during the ordeal. "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 happening.”
In her book, she also revealed that the slap came from Chris Rock allegedly asking her out on date during her separation with Will, per People.
Jada says she believes that Tupac was her soulmate
Date: 2023
In an interview with XXL, Smith was asked about her past friendship with the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The Red Table Talk host proceeded to call the MC her “soulmate,” adding, "It was almost like God made us that way. It was like, look, I'm going to put y'all together, right? Y'all are going to be a dynamic duo. But I'm going to tell you right now, I'm going to make it so y'all are not going to be able to get together 'cause that just wasn't the purpose.”
