According to Jada Pinkett Smith, her relationship to her husband was reaffirmed after the Chris Rock and Will Smith slapping incident at the 2022 Academy Awards.
In-person talks held on Monday night at the Perelman Performing Arts Centre in New York City in collaboration with CAA and Vanity Fair, featured Jada recalling how she and Will “did some really deep work together” following Will’s on-stage slap of Rock during the Oscars ceremony, which occurred after the comedian made a joke about Jada’s bald head.
“When I was sitting at the Oscars, it clicked in. As soon as I was like, ‘Oh snap, you hit Chris?’ “I was like, I’m riding with you. I didn’t come into this place as your wife, but I’m leaving here as your wife because we got a storm we’re going to have to deal with together. I am not gonna leave your side,” Jada said.
Jada Pinkett Smith recalls how she and Will Smith “did some really deep work together” after he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars. https://t.co/BVEDVOSCr8 pic.twitter.com/JUFchz2HKe
— Variety (@Variety) October 17, 2023
Jada thought back to the previous seven years that she had been apart from Will Smith. “I had to go and really learn how to love myself before I could even identify what love looked like coming from somebody else in 2016,” she remarked. “We were both exhausted—pulling at each other, power struggles.”
Jada said, “I had to really learn that about Will. I wasn’t entitled to him.”
Jada also informed the audience that she has permission to include anything regarding Will and his former marriage’s son Trey in her biography, as did Will and their kids Jaden, Willow, and Will.
“[Will] was like, ‘You haven’t been able to have your authentic voice through and through,’ “I will be comfortable with whatever you want to share, I trust you,’” she explained.
Jada disclosed that Will had read the book before she sent it to her editor, but “he didn’t change a word.” He changed nothing.”
“Worthy,” Jada’s most recent memoir, will be out on Tuesday.
