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The Jada Pinkett Smith NBC News prime-time special interview with Hoda Kotb has yet to air in full, but it is already taking over our timelines. Pinkett Smith penned a memoir titled Worthy. She shares her journey from a hopeful teen to one of Hollywood’s biggest names in the book. During the press tour for the project, she unveiled the details behind several of her most significant moments in the spotlight. That includes her perspective on “the slap,” an incident where her husband, Will Smith, slapped comedian and Oscars host Chris Rock after he joked about Pinkett Smith’s haircut.
After years of speculation about the details of their marriage, Pinkett Smith is opening up about Will Smith, whom she married in 1997.
See seven things we learned leading up to tonight’s interview below.
Pinkett Smith Was Surprised To Hear Will Smith Refer To Her As His Wife At The Oscars
Source: Variety / Getty
The world watched Will Smith tell Chris Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth at the 2022 Oscars. It was a shocking moment for many, but Pinkett Smith was most surprised by how her partner clung to the label.
She described the moment to Kotb during the interview. “I’m really shocked because, mind you, I’m not there; we haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time,” said Pinkett Smith.
The couple has been separated since 2016.
The Smiths revealed they were previously separated on an episode of Red Table Talk. They gave the impression that the separation was brief, but Pinkett Smith characterized it as beginning in 2016 during the Today interview.
Pinkett Smith Admitted To Helping Create A “False Narrative” For The Public On Red Table Talk.
When Kotab revealed her belief that the public turned Pinkett Smith into “the bad guy” after Smith’s actions received backlash, the actress replied that she believed their reactions stemmed from the united front the estranged spouses were presenting.
“My honest opinion about that is that narrative had more to do with the false narrative that I helped to create on the ‘Red Table,’” she said.
She Rolled Her Eyes At Rock’s Joke About Her Haircut Because Of Her Battle With Alopecia
“I did that eye roll not so much for me — and I think this is really important — but the fact that there could be a jab at alopecia,” she said.
Rock Apologized To Pinkett Smith Immediately Off Camera.
“Chris looks to me, and he says, ‘Jada, I meant no harm,’” she explained. She was too frazzled with concern for Smith to take in Rock’s impromptu mea culpa.
“I’m just out of it because I’m really worried about Will. And Will’s still talking. Now he’s mad because Chris is talking to me.
“And I go, ‘Chris, this is about some old s—.’ That’s all I could think of saying, right? And I couldn’t really take in his apology.”
Pinkett Smith claims Rock once asked her on a date
Rumors about the Smiths’ marriage are constantly circulating, and even other celebrities have trouble distinguishing fact from fiction. Pinkett Smith revealed that before comparing her to G.I. Jane Rock, he once asked her on a date in an interview with People.
“I think every summer, all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce,” she said.
“So he called me, and basically he was like, ‘I’d love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized, and that was that.”
The Smiths Do Not Have Immediate Plans To Divorce
Despite the thunderstorm of opinions swirling on social media Pinkett Smith said she has yet to cut the final tie between Will and herself.
“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through…whatever,” Pinkett Smith told Kotb. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”
Watch Pinkett Smith’s full interview with Hoda Kotb airs on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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