Jada Pinkett Smith confronts Will Smith gay rumors and more bombshells from NBC special
Jada Pinkett Smith let the truth fly Friday in her NBC News prime-time special with Hoda Kotb.
The 52-year-old “Girls Trip” actress is telling-all in promotion for her memoir “Worthy,” which hits shelves on Oct. 17.
In snippets of the interview shared Thursday, Pinkett Smith revealed she and her husband, Will Smith, 55, have been separated for the past seven years — even when he told Chris Rock to keep his “wife’s f–cking name out” of his mouth at the 2022 Oscars.
“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,” she told Kotb, 59.
Pinkett Smith added she was very confused at the time, saying: “I’m really worried for Will because I don’t know what’s going on.”
The couple married in 1997 and share kids, Jaden, 25, Willow, 22, and Trey, 30. (Will welcomed son Trey, 30, with ex wife Sheree Zampino.)
Despite living separately for nearly a decade, Pinkett Smith claims she and the “Switch” rapper won’t be divorcing anytime soon.
But the “Magic Mike” star’s full conversation with Kotb revealed even more bombshells.
Jada Pinkett Smith confronts wild rumors surrounding marriage to Will Smith
The pair’s marriage has been the subject of many rumors, including whether they’re in an open marriage, are swingers, or one of them is gay.
But when Kotb asked her if any of that was true, she denied it.
“I would say that none of that’s true,” Pinkett Smith responded. “I definitely can understand why there would be misunderstandings, but none of it’s true.”
Why Jada Pinkett and Will Smith won’t get divorced any time soon
The reason why Hollywood’s power couple won’t legally divorce is simple: They don’t want to.
“We don’t want to because we love our family and we love each other” Pinkett Smith claimed.
“You know, it’s more of a life partnership. Now 10 years from now, Hoda? Who knows,” she laughed, adding the pair are currently focused on “deep healing” rather than letting each other know if they’re in other relationships.
Jada Pinkett Smith didn’t see Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars
The entire world watching the TV broadcast of the 2022 Oscars saw Smith slap Chris Rock across the face.
But Pinkett Smith claims she couldn’t see the “Independence Day” actor make contact with Rock from where she was sitting.
It wasn’t until the commercial break that Smith’s publicist came out and told the duo that the comedian didn’t want to press charges against the “King Richard” star that she realized he’d actually hit him.
She claimed neither she nor Smith have spoken to Rock since the slap.
Will Smith “absolutely” knew about her entanglement with August Alsina
Pinkett Smith told Kotb that Smith asked to be on her “Red Table Talk” series in July 2020 to talk about her affair with rapper August Alsina, 31.
Over 12 million people watched the episode and many fans of Smith thought she blindsided and humiliated him by bringing him on.
However, the actress told Hotb that Smith “absolutely” knew about her relationship with Alsina before the media scrutiny and recorded sit-down.
Jada Pinkett Smith made a suicide plan
Pinkett Smith experienced a deep, dark depression in 2011 upon her 40th birthday and had suicidal thoughts.
She revealed she made a plan to stage a high-speed car crash along LA’s scenic and mountainous Mulholland Drive.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org
“Worthy” wasn’t Jada Pinkett Smith’s first idea for the book title
“I have to be honest about something,” Pinkett Smith told Kotb early in the special.
“I wanted to call the book, at first, ‘Unlovable.’ I feel like that’s the journey — we’re all trying to figure out how to feel more lovable.”
Tupac Shakur kissed Jada Pinkett Smith — there was no chemistry
Prior to Friday’s full NBC News interview, Pinkett Smith swore to Rolling Loud that she and her longtime close friend Tupac Shakur never took things to the next level.
But Pinkett Smith did admit that she and Shakur, who was murdered in 1996, kissed one time, just in case.
“I remember being at my house on Price Avenue on the back porch. And you know, he was like, ah, you know, we should try that. And I was like, Pac, kiss me. Go ahead, just kiss me.
“And so he kissed me and we both pulled back like, what the hell?” she recalled, with slight disgusted.
“It wasn’t for you? Kotb asked about a romance between the pair.
“Not for either one of us,” Pinkett Smith laughed.
