It goes without saying that Hollywood is a weird place. This week, it just got a whole lot weirder.
Jada Pinkett Smith dropped a few bombs about her rocky marriage to Will Smith ahead of the release of her memoir, Worthy.
The most significant truth bomb was that she and Smith have been separated since 2016 (Cue explosion sound).
I know what you’re thinking: had they not been on so many red carpets together since then? And why did he jump on stage at the 2022 Oscars, assault Chris Rock and then unleash his “keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth” line in front of the world?
To try and answer all these questions and more, we have put together a timeline of the pair’s relationship. And strap yourself in, because this story has more plot twists than three seasons’ worth of Love Island UK.
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1994: Jada Meets Will
Jada and Will meet at a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air audition. While they “connected,” they did not have an affair.
December 1997: A Reluctant Jada and Will Get Hitched
Jada has revealed in recent years that she never intended to marry anyone. However, in November 1997, Will proposed to her and she accepted. The next day, she found out she was pregnant with the Karate Kid himself, Jaden.
Three months later, a pregnant Jada reluctantly made her way down the aisle in her hometown of Baltimore. She later revealed on her Red Table Talk show that she went down the aisle “crying.” Sounds healthy.
July 1998: Jada and Will Welcome Jaden Smith
Will welcomed his first child, Trey Smith, in 1992 with his first wife, Sheree Zampino. After they got divorced, Will, who had been pining for Jade for some time, made a move. After getting married, Jaden was born in July 1998.
October 2000: Will and Jada Welcome Their Second Child Together
On Halloween 2000, Jada gave birth to their second child, future singer Willow.
August 2011: Jada and Will Shoot Down Rumours of Marc Anthony Affair
Jada and Jennifer Lopez’s then-husband Marc Anthony later starred as love interests in the medical drama Hawthorne from 2009 to 2011. Many thought that life was imitating art, with tabloids whispering in August 2011 about a potential affair. A representative for Jada told People magazine at the time that the rumours were “completely untrue.” Marc Anthony issued a similar statement.
Will and Jada later issued a joint statement quashing the rumours. “We are still together, and our marriage is intact,” they told Entertainment Tonight.
September 2011: Jada and Will Privately Split
Will confirmed in his memoir, Will, in 2021 that looks can be deceiving. In the book, he stated that in September 2011 the marriage “wasn’t working” and that they broke up. Jada later revealed this was due to Will’s egotistical actions at her 40th birthday party.
April 2013: Jada Denies Rumours That She and Will Are in an Open Relationship
In April 2013, during an appearance on HuffPost Live, Jada said, “I’ve always told Will, ‘You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay.'” Many interpreted these comments as meaning the couple were in an open relationship.
She later clarified her comments, saying she made them because they “trust” each other implicitly. She further clarified that “this does NOT mean we have an open relationship… this means we have a GROWN one.”
November 2023: Margot Robbie Denies Rumours of an On-Set Affair with Will
Everyone’s favourite Gold Coast gal Margot Robbie and Will starred opposite each other in the crime-dramedy film, Focus. As they were shooting, rumours began circulating about alleged on-set affairs between Will, 45 at the time, and Margot, who was 23 at the time. Margot later addressed this in a tweet saying “there’s absolutely no truth” in the rumours.
June 2015: Jada Discusses Relationship With Howard Stern
During an appearance on Howard Stern, Jada commented that it was not “realistic” that her husband would not be attracted to other women. She later affirmed that “it doesn’t mean he’s gonna act on it.”
August 2015: Will and Jada Address Divorce Rumours – Again
In a Facebook post, Will stated “Jada and I are… NOT GETTING A DIVORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!! : -) I promise you all – if I ever decide to divorce my Queen – I SWEAR I’ll tell you myself!”
2016: Jada and Will Quietly Separate
By 2016, the couple quietly separated. This split did not become public knowledge until October 2o23.
July 2017: Jada Shuts Down Rumours That She and Will Are Swingers
Jada claims this was the “craziest” rumour about the couple.
December 2017: Will and Jada Celebrate Their 20th Wedding Anniversary
Despite being separated, Will wrote, “Happy Anniversary, my Queen! I am forever devoted to nurturing your deepest truth.” Very odd.
July 2018: Will Says “Nothing” Could Break His Relationship With Jada
During a 2018 appearance on Rap Radar, Will said the couple now referred to each other as “life partners”. He further claimed there was “nothing” that she could do that could break their relationship.
July 2018: Jada Brings August Alsina to Her Red Table Talk
Jada first met musician August Alsina in 2015 when her son, Jaden performed at Wireless Music Festival. Jada referred to him as a “dear family friend.”
April 2019: August Alsina Alludes to Relationship With Jada
By August 2019, Alsina released his song “Nunya” where he alluded to an “entanglement” with Jada. The lyrics are as follows: “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.”
January 2020: Will Admits Jealousy Over Jada’s Relationship with Tupac Shakur
While chatting to Charlamagne tha God in promotion of his movie, Bad Boys for Life, Will admitted he was jealous of Jada’s ‘friendship’ with Tupac.
June 2020: Alsina Claims Will Gave Him The Go-Ahead to Date Jada
By June 2020, Alsina claimed he had a heart to heart with Smith where he gave Alsina “his blessing” for them to date. Jada’s representatives denied this.
July 2020: Jada Brings Will and Alsina on her Red Table Talk
During their chat, Jada confirmed that she and Alsina had a romantic relationship for four and a half years. Jada reaffirmed that Will did not, in fact, give permission for this relationship because they were “broken up.” After her relationship with Alsina ended, Jada reconciled with Will.
September 2021: Will Details Complex Relationship
In an interview with GQ, Smith spoke to the “unconventional” nature of their marriage, stating that he does not believe marriage can be a “prison.” He also suggested that Jada was not the “only one engaging in other sexual relationships.”
March 2022: Will Slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars for Jada Jibe
We all know what happened. We all saw his weak apology.
What we did not know, however, was Jada’s views. She wrote in her book that she had not previously understood the “gravity of the situation.” She added that she was “unclear why Will [was] so upset. We had been living separate lives and were there as family, not as husband and wife. But then I hear Will yell ‘wife’ in the chaos of the moment, an internal shift of, ‘Oh shit . . . I am his wife!’ happens instantly.”
October 2023: Jada Reveals She and Will Have Been Separated for Over Six Years
Jada added that, despite their separation, the couple still have “deep love for each other and [they] are going to figure out what that looks like [for us].”
