HOW WE SAVED OUR MARRIAGE
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith reveal
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith never claimed to have the perfect marriage. But on July 10, one week after 27-year-old rapper August Alsina said he’d had a romance with Jada after befriending the Smiths in 2015, the spouses of nearly 23 years felt moved to disclose surprising details about their relationship. Several years ago, “we decided we were going to separate for a period of time,” said Will, 51, who joined Jada, 48, for an emotional episode of her hit Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk.
“I really felt like we could be over.” Jada acknowledged having had a relationship with Alsina – and a deep rift with Will that took hard work to repair. “I just wanted to feel good,” she said. “I was in a lot of pain, and I was very broken.”
Facing public scrutiny isn’t new for the superstar couple. After hitting it off on the set of his show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will and Jada wed in 1997 and quickly welcomed son Jaden, now 22, and daughter Willow, 19. But the stars have long been dogged by rumours of marital strife. “In the interest of redundant, repetitious, over & over-againness … Jada and I are … NOT GETTING A DIVORCE,” Will told fans on Facebook in 2015, after talk of a split reached a fever pitch. While they put on a united front then, the couple – who met Alsina around that time through Jaden – now admit their marriage was indeed crumbling. “We broke up,” Jada said bluntly on Red Table Talk. Alsina, who was facing health issues, became close to the family as they helped him through a “very difficult time,” she explained. Then “I got into a different kind of entanglement with August.” After prodding by Will, she clarified, “It was a relationship.” While Jada denies Alsina’s claim that Will gave his “blessing” for the romance, she said, “I could see how he could see it as permission because we were separated amicably, and I think he wanted to make it clear he’s not a home wrecker, because he’s not.”
The Smiths say their marriage recovered and they’re stronger than ever. “We have really gotten to that new place of unconditional love,” said Jada, who added she hasn’t spoken to Alsina since they split “several” years ago. A source close to the Smiths says their marital problems weren’t unique – but were exacerbated by their fame. “They’re two different people trying to make it, and on top of it there’s this huge spotlight on them,” says the source. “People are always going to grow and change, but most don’t have the world watching their every move while they do that.” While the Smith source says it has long been Will who felt “more of the pressure” to make their marriage work, a friend of Jada’s adds that she’s never fallen out of love. “She would be the first person to admit marriage is hard work, but she will always love Will,” says the friend. “Even when they haven’t been together, Jada always spoke of her marriage as something special.” By confronting her “emotional immaturity” during their separation, Jada told Will, she found “deep healing.”
With their relationship back on track, the couple are still redefining what it means to be husband and wife. “We refer to ourselves as life partners … you realise you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life,” said Will, quipping that marriage “ain’t for the weak of heart.” Though their union is unconventional, sources say their parenting has always been on the same page. “They are both very protective of their kids,” says Jada’s friend. “They’re very proud of Jaden and Willow.” And despite past drama, Will and Jada say they’re in it for the long haul. “She has my support till death,” said
Will, “and it feels so good to get to that space.”
“Will is extremely patient and really loves her”