Dear Will Smith: What is the Truth?

The Story
When asked by Gayle King during CBS’s Sunday Morning, how he handles the chatter about his marriage to his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, 50, Will Smith, 53, said “I’ve decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people.”  He went on to say, “Chatter is the first stage to having a real conversation.” But perhaps what was the most perplexing part of the interview was when Gayle mentioned how both Will and Jada have discussed how they navigated infidelity in the past, to which Will replied, “There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever.”
 
Why that might be perplexing you may wonder is because it wasn’t too long ago, when R&B singer, August Alsina gave credence to what many have long speculated, which was that the Hollywood power couple had an open marriage. In his 2020 interview with Angela Yee, Alsina revealed that he and Jada had an affair. The two were photographed often during vacations and in 2017, attended the BET awards together. August even appeared as a guest on Jada’s Red Table Talk in 2018. The public surmised that the two had been more than friends as most of their photos and time spent together did not include Will. In the interview, Alsina said, “I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life. I devoted myself to it, I gave my full self to it — so much so to the point that I can die right now and be okay with knowing that I truly gave myself to somebody.” He also said that Will was aware of their relationship and had given him permission to pursue Jada romantically, “I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation ... He gave me his blessing.”
 
The interview sparked major attention and both Jada and Will addressed the issue on Red Table Talk. During the conversation, the Smiths mentioned that Alsina became a family friend, initially coming to them for help with his own personal problems. Jada and Will were on the outs at that time, and the two separated as a result. Jada shared that she and the “I Luv This S***,” crooner became “really good friends,” and that friendship later turned into an “entanglement.” She said the lesson she learned from her experience is that you can’t help heal others as a means to heal yourself. They concluded their talk by saying in unison, “We ride together, we die together, bad marriage for life.”
 
Will and Jada married in 1997 and together, share two children, son Jaden, 23, and daughter Willow, 21. Jada is also the bonus mom to Will’s eldest child, Trey, 29, from his first marriage to Sheree Zampino. 


Abron’s Hot Take
At the time of this writing, we are in awards season and Will Smith has had a steady winning streak. Picking up the golden globe, critic’s choice, BAFTA, SAG, and NAACP Image Award for his leading role in King Richard, he’s the clear frontrunner to win the Oscar later this month (which I’m excited about!) I mention this because it is during this time when nominated actors do heavy press tours and pretty much campaign for their nominated films to win big during the season. Mr. Smith is not immune to this form of promotion. So, I can’t help but think that the interview with Gayle was just another form of said promotion; however, this bombshell statement is both odd if not very confusing.
 
On the surface, the Smith family seemingly had it all. Dominating the movie, tv, music, and even sports arena, they were everywhere and “winning,” according to Will as he details the family’s thriving success in his memoir, Will which is also a New York Times best-seller (and a very good read by the way). But he also shares a moment in the book when he and Jada decided to separate due to having reached a breaking point within their union, and ultimately deciding to find their own happiness as individuals and then return to the marriage, fully happy.
 
During that episode of Red Table Talk, when they addressed the Alsina allegations, it was easily inferred or implied that Jada had a relationship with August outside of her marriage to Will. That by all accounts is considered cheating or an act of infidelity. By Jada’s own words, she and August were in an entanglement which is defined as “a complicated or compromising relationship or situation.” A synonym for the word is an “affair.” Now, Will is saying that there has never been infidelity in their marriage which leads many to assume that their relationship is in fact an open one and that Will most likely knew about Jada’s relationship with August back when it began. How else do you justify your spouse having an outside relationship?
 
Now, I love Will and Jada but if I’m being honest, the two have a tendency to doublespeak. Sometimes their statements leave you with more questions than answers. Of course, they owe nothing to the public but they’re also the ones willingly inviting said public into their relationship, sharing very intimate details that most people would argue, should be kept private. I don’t understand this latest attempt to explain their marriage. What is the truth here Will? Did Jada, in fact, have an affair with another man that you were clueless about, or were you aware of the ordeal but you two had an “understanding,” about privacy and discretion? That’s the million-dollar question and one we may never know the answer to.
 
But here's what I’ll say to Will and Jada… at this point, I think it would be highly prudent of you both to refrain from sharing any more details about your relationship. We the public don’t need to know such information. Keep it between you two. While I appreciate the effort to show that everything in Hollywood isn’t rosy all the time, I fail to see what the oversharing will accomplish other than making the public view you both so differently which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Do yourselves a favor and just get back to focusing on why we, the public fell in love with you both from the beginning and that was your immeasurable talent as actors. Trust me, you’ll lose nothing by keeping your private life private.