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Hollywood actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been married for nearly 25 years, but as with any relationship, there have been bumps throughout their journey together. In June 2020, it was revealed that Pinkett Smith had an affair with singer August Alsina back in 2016, with Alsina claiming that this had happened with Will Smith’s permission. Over a year later, Smith has discussed how during that stage of their marriage, he and Pinkett Smith had agreed to not be monogamous.
During a deep-dive on both his personal and professional lives, which included discussing his upcoming memoir, Will Smith recalled having gone on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk to discuss that non-monogamy period of their marriage, which happened when the two were separated. As the Men in Black actor put it:
The pursuit of truth is the only way to be happy in this lifetime. And we sort of came to the agreement that authenticity was the release from the shackles of fame and public scrutiny.
Will Smith added that the couple realized that when you tell the truth, “you never have to fear being found out.” Smith also mentioned in his interview with GQ that Jada Pinkett Smith “never believed in conventional marriage,” having had family members who “had an unconventional relationship.” The two have even said before that they don’t consider themselves to be married, but refer to themselves instead as “life partners.” So while they’d chosen monogamy for a “large part of their relationship,” it wasn’t something they’d thought of as “relational perfection.” Smith continued:
We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own 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.
When it was revealed to the public that Jada Pinkett Smith had been romantically involved with August Alsina years back, Pinkett Smith described the affair as an “entanglement” (and Alsina even released a song shortly thereafter on the subject titled “Entanglements"). Will Smith also clarified that the public perception that Jada Pinkett Smith was the only one engaging in other sexual relationships was incorrect, adding that “once the public decides something, it’s difficult to impossible to dislodge the pictures and ideas and perceptions.”
Whether Will Smith decides to shed more light on this complicated chapter of his marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith remains to be seen, but for now at least, the two seem to be in a better place with one another. Though that’s not to say that other problems don’t pop up in their lives. Just last week, the basement of their $42 million dollar estate caught on fire, though that didn’t stop Pinkett Smith from celebrating her 50th birthday. Pinkett Smith also gracefully answered a question on Red Table Talk about how she “puts up” with Will Smith, saying how you need to learn to love yourself before you can do the same for others.
As for what Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are up to professionally, the former can next be seen in King Richard come November, while the latter is reprising Niobe for The Matrix Resurrections in December. Both those movies will play in theaters and on HBO Max; if you’d like to go the streaming route, use this link to sign up if you’re not already subscribed to that platform.
