Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, one of Hollywood’s most popular couples, have been living separate lives for years.
After years of controversy and scandal, Jada revealed on Wednesday that she and the “Bad Boys” star separated in 2016. The “Matrix Reloaded” actor broke the news in an interview with the “Today Show’s” Hoda Kotb while promoting her memoir, “Worthy.”
“The thing that surprised me the most that I actually had to reread … was that in 2016 you and Will decided you were going to live separate lives,” Kotb said.
“Yes,” Jada responded. She confirmed Kotb’s takeaway and clarified that she and Will have just been living separately for years. They have not officially divorced.
“I think by the time we got to 2016 we were just exhausted with trying,” she told Kotb later in the interview. “I think we were both just kinda stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”
Jada, 52, and Will, 55, married in December 1997 and share kids Jaden and Willow. For years, Jada and Will kept up appearances at public events, including red carpets and awards shows. They held off on going public with their separation as they were unsure how to present that to people, Jada said.
In recent years, the couple faced a number of rocky moments — including Jada’s “entanglement” with August Alsina and the “King Richard” star’s controversial slap at the 2022 Academy Awards — but presented a united front.
After seven years of living separately, Jada said she could not bring herself to go through the legal process to divorce Will. She said it was a “promise” she made.
“We will work through whatever, and I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” she told Kotb.
