ENTERTAINMENT
Why did Will Smith and Jada Pinkett separate? Why are they still legally married?
Pinkett Smith’s memoir “Worthy”, released on 17 October, discloses her split from the “Men In Black” star, which they kept secret since 2016.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett have been one of the most iconic couples in the world of showbiz and entertainment ever since they got married in 1997. However, all is not as it seems with the 52-year-old actress revealing the couple have lived separate lives for the last seven years.
In a clip previewing her upcoming exclusive interview with Hoda Kotb of NBC News, ahead of the release of her memoir Worthy, the star of The Matrix Reloaded says she and Smith have been have been separated since 2016, although they remain legally married.
What caused Smith and Pinkett’s separation?
Pinkett Smith claims “a lot of things” caused their split and that by 2016, they were “exhausted with trying,” leading to their decision to go their separate ways.
“By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be. We decided we were going to separate for a period of time. ‘You figure out how to make yourself happy and I’ll figure out how to make myself happy,’” went the conversation between the two.
As for why reason as to why couple had kept their split a secret for so long, Pinkett Smith reveals that they just didn’t know how to tell the world. “We’re still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership, And in regards to how do we present that to people? And we hadn’t figured that out”, she points out.
“There will never be a reason for a divorce”
Despite living apart for more than seven years, Smith and Pinkett have opted to remain legally married due to the “deep love” they still have for one another, as well as their desire to keep the promise they made at the altar 25 years ago.
“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through... whatever,” Pinkett Smith says. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”
Smith and Pinkett married on New Year’s Eve in 1997 and have two children together - 25-year-old Jaden, and Willow, 22, both of whom are actors and musicians. Worthy, Pinkett’s memoir, will be released on 17 October.