Jada Pinkett Smith Claims Chris Rock Asked Her Out During Divorce Rumors From Will Smith

Publish date: 2024-08-29

During a recent interview, Jada Pinkett Smith was asked about her reaction to the joke at the center of the Oscars incident, where Chris Rock made a punchline about her shaved head. And it looks like this occurrence could be attributed to a collection of previous narratives that had built up over time.

Before the Oscars incident, Chris Rock asked Jada out on a date.

The actress responded, “I mean, that’s what comedians do. I would just have to say that I am not really here to make any judgment on how people decide to express themselves and express their art. I’ll say that several times, I’ve had my feelings hurt, for sure. I’ve had my feelings hurt a lot by Chris.”

Jada further acknowledged that they were living apart when the incident occurred at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, where her husband confronted comedian Chris Rock on stage. The startling altercation happened just moments before Will won the Best Actor award. In his acceptance speech, a tearful Smith admitted that “love makes you do crazy things” but notably failed to apologize to Chris for the confrontation.

Surprisingly, Jada discloses in her book that Chris once asked her out on a date, she recalled, “I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me, and basically, he was like, ‘I’d love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized, and that was that.”

Jada Pinkett Smith and Chris Rock haven’t communicated since the Oscars incident, but she hopes everyone involved can find “peace.”

The course of her future with Will is now uncertain.

In a separate interview, the 52-year-old actress opened up about an issue that has been kept secret until now. The news came as a surprising revelation, especially considering her and Will Smith’s prior denials of marital complications and their outward portrayal of a committed married couple.

Jada disclosed that she and her husband, Will Smith, have quietly lived apart for the past 7 years. They initially married in 1997 and are currently navigating the uncertain path of their future together.
During the talk show, Jada shared insights into her relationship breakdown with Will Smith. The actress explained, “By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”

In her book, the actress likened their separation to a ’divorce,’ even though no legal paperwork had been filed. Jada wrote, “It was not a divorce on paper. But it was a divorce.” She openly discussed her considerations regarding a legal divorce in the interview.

The actress confessed that she had contemplated it but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to follow through. She candidly revealed that she had made a ’promise’ to her husband, vowing never to provide him with a ’reason’ for divorce. This commitment played a significant role in her decision-making process.

“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce... We will work through whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” the actress confirmed during the interview. When asked, “But you still live separately?” Jada responded with a straightforward affirmation, stating, “We live separately.”

Jada has had an affair, and admitted it publicly.

Additionally, in July 2020, Jada publicly admitted having had an affair with the 31-year-old singer, August Alsina, during her marriage to Will. This revelation came during a candid confession on her Facebook show, Red Table Talk, where she disclosed that she had developed a friendship with August four years prior. She also noted that she and Will were going through a ’difficult time’ and had ’basically broken up’ at that point.

Jada’s description of the affair famously referred to it as an ’entanglement,’ a term that has since found its way into August’s track, ’Shake the World.’ This startling revelation came after both actors initially denied August’s claims that Will had given his blessing for a relationship between August and Jada.

She detailed her mental struggles in her new autobiography.

This recent interview has made quite an impact during Jada’s ongoing promotional tour for her new book. Her book bravely discusses various challenging topics, including her battle with ’depression’ and ’despair,’ which began around 40.

She reflects, “On paper, it all looked grand — I had the beautiful family, the superstar husband, the lavish lifestyle, fame, and fortune.” However, she reveals that behind the scenes, “I’d fallen into despair and wanted to be on this earth less and less.”

In her autobiography, Jada reveals that it wasn’t until adulthood that she understood the extent of her suffering, diagnosing herself with ’complex trauma with PTSD and dissociation.’ However, during her most trying times around her 40th birthday, she hadn’t received an official diagnosis and grappled with her trauma.

The actress discloses that for 2 decades, she had put on a façade, appearing fine to the world while struggling with bouts of profound hopelessness. She felt undeserving of love, which only added to the disconnect between the seemingly perfect life she had achieved and the deep sense of loss she carried with her.

She also acknowledges that therapy had limits, helping her reach 40 but leaving her searching for more. Her source of solace during these trying times was her children. However, even their support was not enough to quell the inner turmoil she was experiencing.

She considers her children as her little supporters.

Jada also expressed her admiration for her children — Jaden, 25, Willow, 22, and Trey, 30, who is Will’s son from a previous relationship — for supporting her during this challenging period in her relationship. She said, “My children, they’re little gurus. They’ve taught me a deep sense of self-acceptance. They love every part of me.”

And here’s Jada’s story showing that a stepchild can be the purest act of love.