In case your jaw hasn't dropped since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Jada Pinkett Smith is here to remedy that.
Last week the Red Table Talk host started dropping hot, savory breadcrumbs in a series of interviews leading up to the Oct. 17 release of her memoir Worthy, revealing she and Smith had been separated for six years before that shocking night and they no longer lived together (though she moved nearby). But, Pinkett Smith also said on TODAY they aren't divorcing and are working on "healing the relationship."
And she would have shared the true state of their union several years ago, but Smith got cold feet, according to the actress.
Pinkett Smith, 52, expands upon all this and more in Worthy, which she has heralded as the real story of her journey. (And yes, the actress who made "entanglement" the most zeitgeisty term since "conscious uncoupling" has acknowledged she may have had a hand in perpetuating various misconceptions over the years.)
Smith, though a starring character in his wife's narrative, has remained in the background while she's been making the rounds to promote her book. But he told the New York Times in an email that even he was unaware of what Pinkett Smith was experiencing—or of how resilient she'd been.
"When you've been with someone for more than half of your life a sort of emotional blindness sets in," wrote the actor, who wed the Set It Off star on Dec. 31, 1997. "You can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties."
Smith, who quipped on Instagram that his notifications are currently set to off, also offered a message of support that On Purpose host Jay Shetty shared during his sit-down with Jada for the Oct. 16 episode of his podcast.
"I just turned the final page of Worthy," Smith wrote. "It is amazing to realize that despite having lived most of my life by your side, I still found myself shocked and stunned and caught off guard, laughing, then inspired, then heartbroken. I was all over the place. It's one thing to hear anecdotes at a family barbecue, but it was truly overwhelming to take in your story, potently condensed in this way."
Noting he knew it wasn't easy to "excavate the depths" of one's self, the Will author concluded, "I applaud and honor you. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I definitely would have hugged you more. I'll start now. Welcome to the author's club. I love you endlessly. Now go get some Merlot and take a rest."
Pinkett Smith laughed and called the sentiment "beautiful," adding, "That's why I can't divorce that joker."
Meanwhile, you should treat yourself to a generous pour and settle in for more of the bombshells Jada dropped in her book, Worthy: