Will Smith Claims Jada Pinkett Smith’s Memoir Gave Him a Wake-Up Call, Says Vanity Fair

By Chris Murphy

Will Smith has finally discussed his relationship with his estranged wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, following new revelations in her latest memoir, Worthy. Smith shared his thoughts on their relationship in an email to The New York Times, touching upon his tumultuous relationship with Pinkett Smith, who announced in her memoir that they had been separated since 2016. Smith confessed that her memoir "sort of woke him up”, making him reflect on her resilience, intelligence, and compassion more deeply.

Pinkett Smith unveiled details about their relationship during her press tour for Worthy, due on October 17. She disclosed they had been living separated lives for six years before the 2022 Oscars incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, which saw Smith slap Rock following a joke about Pinkett Smith's bald head. In her interaction with The New York Times, Pinkett Smith referred to the incident as a 'spiritual clash' that existed before her relationship with either. She spoke of standing with her estranged husband despite not referring to each other as husband and wife for a while. "I said, I'm his wife now. We're in this," she emphasized, explaining that her loyalty and support were her gifts to him.

In his email to The New York Times, Smith disclosed that his wife's memoir helped him understand that she led a life more on the brink than he comprehended. He added, "When you've been with someone for over half of your life, you tend to overlook their hidden intricacies and subtle beauties due to emotional ignorance," forceful in his admittance of his oblivion.

Pinkett Smith auditioned to play Smith’s girlfriend on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1994 when they first met. They got married on New Year’s Eve, 1997, in Baltimore, Pinkett Smith's hometown. In an upcoming NBC News special called Jada’s Story, Pinkett Smith shared that despite their separate living arrangements, she has no intentions for a divorce. She reiterated her commitment, "There's never going to be a reason for divorce. We'll work through everything. I haven't been able to break that promise yet."