This week, r&b singer August Alsina made headlines after he spoke about his alleged affair with Hollywood actress Jada Pinkett Smith, while busy promoting his new album, The Product III: StateofEMERGEncy.
Alsina visited Lip Service host Angela Yee for a candid interview, where he made the startling claim that Pinkett Smith’s husband, Will Smith, permitted him to begin an affair with her.
“I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation — He gave me his blessing,” he said. “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 her. 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.”
A representative for Pinkett Smith denies that there is any truth to the allegations.
During the interview, Alsina stated that it is not his intention to create trouble — but his assertions will undoubtedly cause a few headaches for the Gotham actress.
It’s not the first time Alsina has alluded to a secret affair with Pinkett Smith. And she denied any intimate relationship with the singer last year as she is this time around.
Whether or not Alsina did have a relationship with The Red Table Talk co-host has absolutely nothing to do with his listeners. Any gentleman’s agreement between him and Will Smith should have been respected. He should have left the Smith’s out of his promo run.
The timing of his statements does raise an eyebrow. In the same month that he’s busy promoting his new music project, he throws Pinkett Smith under the bus once again.
One can look at his actions as those of a lovelorn, heartbroken young man — which may be true in part.
Still, it’s hard to not see this as something more insidious — a hungry artist exploiting a possible close relationship Hollywood superstar to catapult his career back into the mainstream spotlight.
