Are Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith Still Together? Inside Their Marriage Amid 7-Year Separation
In October 2023, days before the release of her memoir, Worthy, Jada Pinkett Smith dropped the bombshell revelation that she and husband Will Smith have been separated since 2016. However, the Red Table Talk host later clarified that, despite their separation, Will is still “her man.” So, where exactly do Will and Jada stand today as a couple?
How Long Have Will and Jada Been Together?
Will and Jada met on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1994, and their decades-long romance began months later. They tied the knot on New Year’s Eve in 1997 while Jada was pregnant with their first child, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. Will and Jada welcomed Jaden in July 1998, followed by daughter Willow Smith in October 2000.
Are Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith Still Together?
Despite their marriage appearing to be rock solid for many years, Jada confirmed on October 11, 2023, that she and Will had been separated for seven years. She told Hoda Kotb on Today that they are not divorced “on paper,” but they were “just exhausted with trying” by 2016.
“I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be,” Jada added.
Jada and Will spent years trying to figure out their dynamic, which Jada said was the reason she took so long to announce the separation. The split hasn’t been exactly cut-and-dry, either, as Jada revealed in Worthy that she still has moments where it’s clear to her that she is Will’s wife. One of those moments came during the 2022 Academy Awards, when Will slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada’s shaved head.
“We had been living separate lives and were there as family, not as husband and wife,” Jada wrote in her memoir, which was released on October 17. “But when I hear Will yell ‘wife’ in the chaos of the moment, an internal shift of Oh s–t … I am his wife! happens instantly.”
After her interview on Today, Jada clarified on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that Will is still her “man.” She also described their dynamic as “life partners.”
Are Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith Getting Divorced?
Though they are living separate lives right now, Jada has made it clear that she and Will are still legally married and have no intention of getting divorced.
“[We] made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce,” she told Hoda, adding that they vowed to “work through” their issues.
“I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” she continued.
Jada reiterated their stance on divorce in an October 17 interview with AP News.
“We love each other…we are figuring out right now as we speak, what that looks like for us. But there’s no being separated. There’s no, ‘we’re going to get divorced,’” she explained. “I’m not giving up on that dude. And he’s not giving up on me… So, let’s just stop and let’s get to this deep healing and figure this out.”
In November 2023, Jada said that she and Will were “staying together forever” after their separation. “I tried. We tried,” she said on The Drew Barrymore show, hinting that their separation couldn’t keep them apart.
What Has Will Smith Said About Their Separation?
Though Will has not directly addressed their separation yet, he did respond to her memoir in an email to The New York Times, revealing that the book reminded him of his wife’s strength.
"When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life, a sort of emotional blindness sets in," he wrote. "You can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties."
Additionally, the actor seemingly shared a more lighthearted response on Instagram on October 15. He shared a video of himself taking a nap on a boat as notification sounds went off in the background. A voiceover could be heard saying, “Fun fact about me: I can take a nap almost anywhere.”
In the caption, Will wrote, “Notifications off :).”
Will opened up about his relationship with Jada during her book tour stop in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 18. He described their marriage as “very long and tumultuous,” but also “brutiful.”
“It was brutal and beautiful at the same time,” he said, per the Baltimore Banner. Will also called their story a "sloppy public experiment in unconditional love.”
The actor said he is the “happiest” he’s ever been and vowed to always support Jada, no matter where they are in their marriage.
"Can you show up and love somebody for the rest of your life, even when you don't agree with them?" he said. "Jada is the best friend I have ever had on this planet and I am going to show up for her and support her for the rest of my life."
