Gina Heslop
Jada Pinkett Smith recently opened up about a surprising affair she had, adding another layer to her well-known marriage with Will Smith. Jada and Will got married in 1997 and have two children, Jaden and Willow.
Their relationship started in 1994 when Jada auditioned to play Will’s girlfriend on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” but she didn’t get the part because she was considered “too short.”
At that time, Will was married to Sheree Zampino. Despite his marriage, Will developed feelings for Jada. He called her to check if she was seeing someone, and when she said no, he boldly declared, “Cool, you’re seeing me now.”
The couple married in 1997 and welcomed their children, Jaden in 1998 and Willow in 2000. Over the years, their marriage has been under media scrutiny. However, the public was shocked when Jada revealed she had an affair. The revelation came after the infamous 2022 Oscars incident where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.
Rock, while hosting, made a joke about Jada’s alopecia, a condition causing hair loss. This joke led Will to slap Rock and then shout from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Despite this dramatic event, Will won the Best Actor award for his role in “King Richard” that night. However, the slap overshadowed his achievement, leading the Academy to ban him for ten years.
The affair revelation occurred during a 2020 episode of Jada’s Facebook talk show, “Red Table Talk.” Jada hosted the show with her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and daughter, Willow. In the episode, Jada admitted to having an affair with August Alsina, a friend of their son Jaden and an R&B singer.
Alsina had publicly stated that he had a romantic relationship with Jada and suggested that Will had given his blessing. Jada explained that she got involved with Alsina when he needed help with his health and mental state. At the time, she and Will were going through a tough period and were separated. She referred to her relationship with Alsina as an “entanglement.”
During the discussion, Jada clarified that only she could give permission for the relationship, not Will. She explained that their separation might have led Alsina to think he had Will’s approval, but he wasn’t a homewrecker. Jada ended the affair and eventually reconciled with Will. She noted that they realized they couldn’t stay apart despite their efforts.
Last year, Jada made another shocking announcement, revealing that she and Will had been separated and living separate lives since 2016. This revelation confused many fans. In a follow-up interview, Jada explained that they were working hard to rebuild their relationship and bring it back to a life partnership.
