Jada Pinkett Smith admits husband Will’s Oscars slap was the pivotal moment she decided to stay with him… and reveals a ‘non-traditional’ relationship is their way forward
Jada Pinkett Smith has admitted she decided to stick by Will Smith’s side after he punched Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars.
The American actress, 52, also revealed how she and Will, 55, made the joint decision to work towards a ‘non-traditional relationship’ given their past.
Jada appeared on The One Show on Monday night with hosts Lauren Laverne and Alex Jones and talked about her new memoir Worthy.
Jada said: βI knew it was going to be an intense reaction. And that was the moment I decided that I would stay by his side.
βYou know, it’s funny how intense situations can strengthen love, and it was a pretty tough time, but it definitely brought us closer. So yeah, it’s crazy how things work.β
Crucial: Jada Pinkett Smith, 52, has admitted she decided to stay by Will Smith’s side, 55, the moment he punched Chris Rock at last year’s Oscars
Making it work: The American actress also revealed how she and Will made the joint decision to work on a ‘non-traditional relationship’ given their past (pictured in March)
She added, βI would say that Will and I decided to have a relationship that fits what we want, and so we broke up and then the Oscars came along and we’re definitely on different trajectories.
‘But I certainly wouldn’t say it’s in a traditional way. We decided to be together in a way that works for us.β
In the explosive memoir, she revealed how the dynamics of her marriage to the famous actor and Will changed after the Oscars.
The pair had secretly split six years prior to the incident, with Jada confessing: ‘I don’t think in a million years he’ll go on stage and it’ll have anything to do with me!’
Speak with Red magazine, she added, “Then your relationship becomes deeper than romance or all the problems that come with marriage.”
βI was just really worried about Will. And I realized in that moment that no matter how challenging our relationship can be, I will always be by his side, no matter what.β
At the 94th Academy Awards, Will stepped on stage and punched Chris after the comedian made a joke about Jada looking like “GI Jane” because of her bald head, even though she recently revealed she suffered from alopecia.
While she and Will lived apart at the time, Jada explained that they always had each other’s backs, especially now that they’re apart.
Ouch: At the 94th Academy Awards, Will walked on stage and punched Chris after the comedian made a joke about Jada looking like ‘GI Jane’ because of her bald head
Supportive: While she and Will lived apart at the time, Jada explained that they always had each other’s back, especially now that they’re apart (pictured in 2014)
She revealed: ‘We draw each other to love each other so we can have a certain opinion of ourselves, then separate and find our emotional independence, only to meet in the middle.
‘Learning how to stand up for ourselves is standing up for others. It has been a profound learning process in how to love.β
While Jada has been open about the complexities of their marriage, she revealed that she prefers not to use “conventional” relationship titles to describe their union.
She explained: ‘I try to stay away from conventional terms like ‘marriage’ because people have a very specific idea of ββit and it’s not my job to change that.
βI like to spend time with myself and I like to spend time with my family, and that’s it. I don’t feel like doing anything other than that.’
Jada released the book on October 17 and it managed to grab the number three spot on the Amazon chart for the week of October 22, which lists the Top 20 best-selling and most-read books of the week.