Will Smith releases a statement after Jada Pinkett Smith’s shocking separation news

After years of facing rumours that their marriage was in trouble, Jada Pinkett Smith recently made a bombshell revelation, confirming that she and husband of over 20 years, Will Smith, actually have been separated for seven years. The Collateral star and host of Red Table Talk, who is set to release her memoir "Worthy" tomorrow, October 17, revealed that they reached the agreement to live separate lives back in 2016. 

The Men In Black star has remained mostly silent during her memoir media blitz, but over the weekend, Will finally broke his silence and addressed his estranged wife’s take on their marriage.

In an email to The New York Times, Will wrote that Jada’s feelings about their marriage in her memoir “woke him up.” The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star told the publication that “she had lived a life more on the edge” and that “she is more resilient, clever and compassionate” than he’d previously understood.

“When you’ve been with someone for more than half your life, a sort of emotional blindness sets in,” he wrote.

“And you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties.” 

Jada explained how she felt the relationship went sideways in an exclusive interview with Today’s Hoda Kotb, saying,  "Why it fractured ... that — that's a lot of things ... 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."

Jada however cautioned that a divorce is currently not in sight for the couple. "I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through ... whatever. I just haven't been able to break that promise," she added. 

Since then, more light has been shed on the now infamous Chris Rock altercation at the Oscars. 

While promoting Worthy, Jada spilled the tea to People about her dynamic with Rock, dropping a bombshell claim that Rock had once asked her out during one of the many divorce rumours regarding her and Will. 

"I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce," she explained. "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.'" 

She clarified that he immediately apologized when she denied the rumours, saying, "He was appalled. And he profusely apologized, and that was that," however social media ran with the idea that the Oscars altercation stems from animosity and rivalry between the two men.

At the 2022 Academy Awards, Rock was on stage to present the best documentary feature category when he made a joke about Jada's bald haircut which she was forced to get following her struggle with alopecia. In response to the joke, Will then walked on stage, striking Rock right across the face. While walking back to his heat, the actor also yelled, "Keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth!" Will subsequently received a 10-year ban prohibiting him from Academy Awards-related events.