The Love and Hate Relationship Of Will Smith And Jada

Will Smith and Jada are a couple whose marriage has gone from one of the most desirable relationships to becoming one of the most hated unions in pop culture. Their marriage used to be the goal for many couples both in and out of the entertainment scene, and now, several fans have started to call for their separation. This has proven once more that not all that glitters is gold.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s marriage used to be the toast of the town. All that we were allowed to see showed us the perfect couple and perfect family until we found out that the perfect smiles, family pictures, toasts and speeches weren’t always present when the cameras were off.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past five years, you must have seen the memes, the videos, the tweets and all the drama that the statement’ entanglement with August’ caused last year. This was when Jada shared how she had a four-year affair with American rapper August Alsina.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, we’ll start with a look into Will Smith and Jada’s marriage and its up and downs as we’ve recently gotten more information since Will has begun the promotional interviews for his new self-titled Biography.

EARLY BEGINNINGS

Will first met Jada in 1990 when Jada auditioned for a role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Jada lost out on bagging a part in the hit series, but after meeting on the casting couch, the pair remained friends.

After Will ended his marriage with Sheree Zampino (with whom he shares son Trey) in 1995, Jada found herself single and began dating. From the story behind the early days, we discover that there was no talking stage and no getting over his ex for Will. After the marriage ended, he wasted no time calling Jada and asking her to be his girlfriend.

Reflecting on the early days of their marriage in an Apple TV+ interview with Oprah Winfrey, he said: ‘We drank every day, and had sex multiple times every day, for four straight months… I started to wonder if this was a competition.’

‘Either way, as far as I was concerned, there were only two possibilities: I was going to satisfy this woman sexually, or I was going to die trying.’

Will has been incredibly candid about his sex life, particularly in his memoir and in interviews promoting it. He has even shared details about his sex life with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

‘Those early days were spectacular. Me and Jada, to this day, if we start talking, it’s four hours. It’s four hours if we exchange a sentence.

‘And it’s like, it’s the centre of why we’ve been able to sustain and why we’re still together, not choking the life out of each other. It’s like, the ability to work through issues. I’ve just never met another person that I connect with in conversation more blissfully and productively than Jada.

Will Smith and Jada got married on December 31 1997, and have been together for 24 years. They share two children. The duo later became a trio when they welcomed son Jaden in 1998, and then their family grew to four with the arrival of their daughter Willow in 2000.

By all accounts, they were the perfect family, but when Jada reached her 40th birthday in September 2011, the husband and wife realized that they had to change the structure of their relationship as they were both miserable.

SEPARATION

Will spoke about this in detail during a new bombshell interview with GQ. He handed over the transcript for ‘WILL’ the book where he delved into the details of his and wife Jada’s choice of shaking up their marriage after they decided that their union “can’t be a prison.”

Will recalled how they had a fiery disagreement after the birthday party he had spent three years organizing for Jada in Santa Fe, which included displaying a documentary he had commissioned that chronicled her life and traced her family’s history back to slavery.

The two began yelling, and Willow, who was ten at the time, wept and begged them to stop. The arguing continued, and the pair decided to separate for a while. This led Will down a path of spiritual exploration, which included meeting with a tantric sex counsellor, Michaela Boehm, in Trinidad.

OPEN MARRIAGE

After the argument and self-discovery journey they both went on, the couple decided they had to change. Smith writes, “Our marriage wasn’t working.” “We couldn’t keep pretending any longer. We were both unhappy, and it was evident that something needed to change.”

After reaching this tipping point, the couple then decided to allow extra-marital relations within their marriage. “We realized that it was a fantasy illusion that we could make each other happy,” Smith said. “We agreed that she had to make herself happy, and I had to make myself happy. Then we were going to present ourselves back to the relationship already happy—versus demanding that the other person fill our empty cup.”

Smith told GQ, “Jada never believed in [a] conventional marriage.”

“Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up,” he said. “There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection.”

ENTANGLEMENT WITH AUGUST

In 2020 he appeared on her Facebook show after rapper August shared claims he and Jada had a four-year-long affair with her husband’s blessing. During the discussion, Jada referred to her relationship with August as an “entanglement.”

Will detailed how he and Jada decided to part as they thought they would end their marriage before her hooking up with August. While it seems like too much information to the rest of us, Jada explained face-to-face on camera to her husband how being with August made her feel “joy.”

The popular meme last year of Will looking at Jada during the talk show

After meeting him through her son Jaden, the ‘Gotham’ star embarked on the whirlwind romance for four and a half years with August Alsina. The husband and wife denied that Will gave his blessing to the extra-marital relationship, though.

During the Red Table Talk chat, Jada clarified that her husband didn’t have to give the new love rival permission because they were not together, and it seemed permanent at the time.

She said: “As time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement [with August]. You giving permission only circumstance is me.

“August was probably trying to communicate, and I could see how he would perceive it as permission as we were separated amicably. He wanted to make it clear he’s not a homewrecker. Which he’s not.”

Jada explained her heartbreak over her separation from Will as she grieved what she thought was the end of their marriage while she and August had their ‘entanglement’. The actress revealed that she was “in a lot of pain” and “broken” as her marriage crumbled.

She said: “I was in a lot of pain. I was broken.” Jada added: “I wanted to feel good. It had been so long since I felt good. It was a joy to help heal somebody.”

NEW OVER-INFORMATION

More recently, Jada opened up on her Red Table Talk show to guest Gwyneth Paltrow about her sex life with Will this week. During the session, Jada revealed she was tired of not getting what she “wanted” in the bedroom, and her husband was unable always to know what she liked.

“It’s hard,” Jada admitted on the show. “The thing Will and I talk about a lot is the journey. We started in this at a very young age, you know, 22 years old.” She continued: “That’s why the accountability part hit for me because I think you expect your partner to know [what you need], especially when it comes to sex.

“It’s like, ‘well if you love me, you should know. If you love me, you should read my mind.’ That’s a huge pitfall.”

Gwyneth then added, “Isn’t it weird, though? It’s like Someone doesn’t read your mind, and we feel crushed.”

To which Jada responded: “You tell me what you need. Please tell me what you want, and on top of it, I know that I have to be accountable to do the same. I really try.” She continued, “It’s uncomfortable, but it’s deeply healthy, and I think around sex because it’s something that we don’t talk about, and there’s so much fantasy around it.”

The recent video is perhaps the last straw for many fans who have suggested the pair finally go “their separate ways,” citing all of their troubles and that they’ve been together long enough.

“They’ve been married for 25 years,” one tweeted. “Their kids are grown. They had a good run.”

Another tweeted: “Someone tells Jada to file for divorce, please! The kids are grown. Enough is enough.”

A third wrote: “Jada is out here dissing Will. He needs to divorce that woman.”

After seeing some of the backlashes, Jada worked to clear the air, tweeting that she and Will are doing just fine with the sexual aspect of their relationship.

She wrote: “Only because I got time today…Watch the @RedTableTalk I did with @GwynethPaltrow for yourselves.

“Will and I have NEVER had an issue in the bedroom. Thank you”

MOVING FORWARD

We’re going to end on what Will said about the couple’s relationship “We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”

Whether Will Smith and Jada will end their journey remains to be seen. Still, we remain happy for the couple as they refuse to give up on their union despite all the challenges. Their style may not work for everyone, but who can judge as long as it works for them?

Do you think Will Smith and Jada should remain together or give up on the relationship? Would you recommend their style of marriage for anyone, or would you try it out yourself?