It feels like Jada Pinkett Smith has been dropping bombshell after bombshell as of late. The veteran actress has been promoting her recently released memoir, Worthy and, while speaking with the press, she’s been very candid about various aspects of her life. Her relationship with husband Will Smith has been coming up frequently, and she surprisingly revealed during the past week that she and Will have been separated since 2016. In the aftermath of the reveal, some may be wondering just why the couple opted to keep that information secret for so long. On that note, public relations experts shed light on the decision.
Within the Hollywood landscape, A-list stars announce major news quite frequently and, in many cases, it’s confirmed through their PR teams. Marital-related news like the nugget of knowledge the Nutty Professor alum dropped during her interview with NBC usually comes in the aforementioned manner. So why exactly did she choose now to reveal that she and her spouse have been apart for so long and on such a large stage. While we can’t say for sure what her reasoning for divulging that and more is, a few people have some thoughts. Crisis communication strategist Molly McPherson opined to Insider that the actress is taking a “calculated” approach:
When celebrities want to roll out bad news, they tend to do it in a very orchestrated manner. And Jada Pinkett Smith is no doubt rolling out a very calculated strategy around this announcement about her and her husband Will Smith.
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One could definitely argue that by dropping such significant truth bombs amid a tour for her new book, the 52-year-old star is drumming up significant interest. That could be the strategy Molly McPherson is likely referring to. McPherson went on to say that she’s somewhat shocked that the Set It Off co-lead is seemingly going that route. Using the ongoing divorce between Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, she mentioned that amid that particular case, Jonas was accused of manipulating the situation to his advantage. McPherson admitted that she’d “think that Pinkett Smith would use a different PR playbook.”
Despite that, Jada Pinkett Smith’s methods did receive some kudos from another industry professional. Liza Anderson – the head of Anderson Group Public Relations – also shared thoughts with Insider, and she seems somewhat impressed by how Pinkett Smith is proceeding:
It's the most shrewd and strategic move. I was like, is she a genius or what? It is an absolute, absolute genius move and it made headlines. It just sounded alarms across the world and it rang bells across.
Whatever the star is doing, it definitely seems to be working, as much of the Internet has been fixed on the anecdotes she’s shared about her personal life. Her and Will Smith’s separation isn’t the only topic she’s discussed, as she’s also shared her account of Smith’s Oscars slap. The actress said she thought the moment was a skit, until her husband actually slapped Rock on stage. Amid her book tour, she also addressed allegations that she was to blame for the slap and asserted that commentators framed her as an “adulteress.” Additionally, the starlet recalled being hurt by the comments in Rock’s latest Netflix special, which now backs up sources claims that Jada was unhappy with the comedy show.
It’s anyone’s guess as to what Jada Pinkett Smith might reveal about her personal life as she continues to promote her book. Regardless though, based on the comments shared by the PR experts, any additional details shared on that front could continue to earn her publicity.
