A 2018 video clip of Jada Pinkett Smith talking about her husband Will Smith has resurfaced, providing an inside look into the power couple’s marriage.
In the revealing discussion, the Set if Off actress admitted that while they were courting, she was hesitant to marry the I Am Legend actor, adding that their wedding day was quite the ordeal.
On an episode of Red Table Talk, Jada confessed that she did not have a desire to marry Will, adding that she felt pressure from those around her to marry because she was pregnant. She never wanted to marry, she continued.
She further revealed that her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris (known as Gammy), played a huge role in encouraging her to marry Will, especially after she became pregnant with Jaden Smith, now 25.
“It was almost as if Gammy was like, ‘You have to get married, so let’s talk about the wedding,’” Jada explained. “I was so upset that I had to have a wedding. I was so pissed that I ended up crying on the freaking aisle.”
The idea of commitment through marriage is not what Jada was opposed to, she said, it was the traditional role of being a wife that didn’t sit well with her, she continued.
Unlike her though, Will had always dreamed of getting married and starting a family, she said, and added that the Philadelphia native was filled with such joy and happiness on their wedding day.
Talks of Will and Jada’s marriage have come to the fore following the infamous slap heard around the world during the 2022 94th Academy Awards, a night that left an indelible mark on Will’s career.
At the time, Will slapped comedian Chris Rock while presenting an award that night because of a joke the Pootie Tang actor made about his wife’s alopecia.
Following the fiasco, Will issued a statement. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” he wrote in an Instagram post days after the slap. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
He continued: I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”
And in July, Pinkett Smith addressed the issue as well. “Now, about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one other more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring this thing called life together.”
