Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed that she and her husband, Will Smith, have been separated for seven years.
This morning, an exclusive clip from her upcoming NBC News prime-time special with Hoda Kotb is circulating online where the Hollywood actress admits that she and Smith have lived “completely separate lives” since 2016.
“I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be,” she told the television journalist. Pinkett Smith says that while they are still legally married, they are no longer in a romantic relationship.
Some fans are wondering why Pinkett Smith waited until now to reveal the news. She faced heavy backlash after news of her alleged affair with singer August Alsina hit the internet. Pinkett Smith says they weren’t “ready yet.”
“In regards to, how do we present that to people? We hadn’t figured that out,” she shared, adding that she “made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce, We will work through … whatever. I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” she added.
In her memoir, “Worthy,” the star also writes. “We had been living separate lives and were there as family, not as husband and wife. But when I hear Will yell “wife” in the chaos of the moment, an internal shift of Oh s— . . . I am his wife! happens instantly.”
The estranged couple said, “I do” on New Year’s Eve in 1997. They share two children together: a son, Jaden, and a daughter, Willow. The “Fresh Prince” also shares a son, Trey, with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino.
“Worthy” hits shelves on Oct. 17.
