LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jada Pinkett Smith, 52, has been sharing an array of stunning disclosures about her personal life in the lead-up to the publication of her memoir, 'Worthy,' on October 17.
The actress revealed details while promoting the book in interviews with the 'Today Show' host Hoda Kotb, People, and the Relationships Editor of Rolling Out magazine, Christal Jordan.
In the NBC Primetime Special with 'Today's Kotb, the 'Matrix' actress spoke about a range of topics, including the gay rumors, her extramarital affair with the musician August Alsina, and the reasons why she and her "soulmate," the late rapper Tupac Shakur, never got together.
Jada Pinkett Smith claims to have turned into 'urban nun' who abstains from alcohol and sex
Jada explained to the New York Times in yet another interview for the promotion of her new memoir how she enjoys daily prayer and reading from sacred writings like the Bible, the Quran, or the Hindu classic Bhagavad Gita.
In an effort to achieve "clarity and emotional sobriety" in her life, Jada claimed she has transformed into a sort of "urban nun."
She refrains from sex, alcohol, watching violent programs, and engaging in unnecessary expenditures, similar to a nun.
Jada Pinkett Smith refutes rumors she and Will Smith have an open marriage and are gay
Host Kotb urged the former 'Red Table Talk' host to address allegations about her 26-year marriage to 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' actor at one point during the interview.
Kotb stated, "You and Will probably have more rumors about you and talk about you than others. 'They're in an open marriage, they're swingers, he's gay, she's gay.' I mean a million things were out there."
Kotb went on to ask, "What, if anything, is true and did hearing all that stuff bother you?"
As per Insider, Jada responded, "You know, that's part of it. I would say that none of that's true. I definitely can understand why there'd be misunderstandings. But none of it's true."
Jada Pinkett Smith remembers the Tupac kiss
Jada attested to Rolling Loud before Friday's (October 13) entire NBC News interview that she and her longtime close friend Tupac never pursued a romantic relationship.
However, Jada did admit that just to be safe, she had shared a kiss with Tupac, who was murdered in 1996.
Jada first met rapper Tupac in 1986 while attending school. "Pac was new," Jada recalled, "It was my sophomore year, and he looked over, and he saw me, and he just targeted me."
She continued by saying that she thought Tupac was "charismatic" and had a "beautiful smile," per Rolling Stone.
Jada narrated to Kotb, "I remember being at my house on Price Avenue on the back porch. And you know, he was like, ah, you know, we should try that. And I was like, Pac, kiss me. Go ahead, just kiss me."
"And so he kissed me and we both pulled back like, what the hell?' It was not for either one of us."
Will Smith 'absolutely' was aware of Jada's relationship with August Alsina
Jada told Kotb that in July 2020, she was requested to appear on her 'Red Table Talk' program to discuss her affair with the 31-year-old rapper August Alsina.
More than 12 million people watched the episode, and many of Will's followers thought that she embarrassed and blindsided him by inviting him on.
However, the actress claimed to Kotb that prior to the media attention and the filmed sit-down, Will "absolutely" knew about her affair with Alsina.
Jada Pinkett missed Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars 2022 slapgate
According to NBC, Jada was already worried about Chris Rock and their contentious 2016 Oscars, where he made fun of her for boycotting the broadcast due to the all-white acting nominees, even before the infamous 2022 Oscars slapgate.
However, she stated that she was unaware that Will had actually struck the comedian when she rolled her eyes at the "GI Jane 2" jab that was directed at her almost bald head, a result of her fight with alopecia.
Will struck Chris in the face as the entire world watched the 2022 Oscars on television. Jada, however, asserts that from where she was seated, she was unable to observe the 'Independence Day' star make contact with Chris.
She didn't realize he'd truly hit him until Will's publicist revealed to the pair during the commercial break that the comedian didn't want to file a complaint against the Oscar-winning actor.
Jada Pinkett Smith was shocked over Will Smith calling her 'wife' at Oscars 2022
Jada claimed that she was surprised by Will's use of the word "wife" when he asked that Chris refrain from uttering his "wife's name."
She further stated that during the commercial breaks, when Chris tried to apologize to her, Will got even more angry, apparently aggravated by the comedian speaking to her.
She referred to it as "some old s**t" between them but didn't realize Will had attacked Chris until his spokesperson informed her that "Chris has left the building and he’s not going to press charges," which, based on her facial expressions, still stuns her.
Jada Pinkett Smith struggled with suicidal thoughts
Although Jada and Will seemed to be leading the ideal Hollywood lifestyle, she claimed that as her 40th birthday approached in 2011, she started to have mental health issues.
After turning 40, Jada fell into a deep, dark melancholy and contemplated suicide. She admitted making plans to simulate a high-speed collision near Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles' beautiful and hilly surroundings.
Jada said on the interview, "I’d been struggling with depression for a long time. When I started to get into my late 30’s and then hit 40, I had a terrible wall."
She tried "a plant-based psychedelic" to treat her depression and claimed that the unusual treatment made her feel as though a shroud had been removed.
Will and Jada have been separated since 2016
The interview with Jada on Friday comes after Today published an excerpt of their talk in which she discussed why she and Will chose to keep their separation private despite having been apart for six years.
Jada said in the interview, "I think, just not being ready yet. 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."
According to Jada, "a lot of things" contributed to the breakdown of the couple's relationship, and by 2016, "we were just exhausted with trying," she added.
"I think we were still both kind of stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be."
Why haven't Jada Pinkett and Will Smith legally divorced?
The power couple in Hollywood won't officially divorce for one simple reason: They don't want to.
Jada said to the 'Today' host, "We don’t want to because we love our family and we love each other."
"You know, it’s more of a life partnership. Now 10 years from now, Hoda? Who knows," she chuckled, adding that the couple is currently more concerned with "deep healing" than divulging to one another whether or not they are in other relationships.
Jada Pinkett Smith didn't come up with book title 'Worthy' instantly
Early in the episode, Jada informed Kotb, "I have to be honest about something."
"I wanted to call the book, at first, ‘Unlovable.’ I feel like that’s the journey — we’re all trying to figure out how to feel more lovable," she said.
