Will Smith hit the headlines all over the world when he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars last year in defence of Jada Pinkett.
But now the Hollywood actress, 52, has admitted that the pair were in fact separated at the time of the sensational event. At the event, the Men In Black star, 55, stormed onstagr during the Oscars and hit the host across the face after he made a joke about her alopecia.
After returning to his seat, Will repeatedly shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!” The incident shocked the world, including Jada, who has since confessed that the actor hasn’t referred to her as his wife in years before the now-famous slap.
READ MORE: Want more showbiz? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
READ MORE: Want more TV? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
She admitted: “We haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time” in an explosive preview of her upcoming NBC interview with Hoda Kotb. In the clip, Jada admitted she was “really worried” for Will because she didn’t know what was happening at the Academy Awards.
(Image: Getty Images)
Looking back on the incident, the mum-of-two said it was “ridiculous how far it went” as she accused her of telling Will to react to Chris. She went on: “But I also understood at the same time. Considering the false narrative that I had cheated on Will or I was like some adulteress, Will had never done that before.
“I think that when we just look at human nature… when you look atht e breadcrumbs, people need something to blame. And so people not knowing what was happening behind the scenes, I surely wasn’t surprised that I got blamed.”
Despite the backlash she received at the time, Jada insisted she didn’t hold it against anyone, adding: “I understood that that’s just the human nature of it all.” The talk show host also admitted that she thought the slap was initially a joke.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
She continued: “I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him’. It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realised it wasn’t a skit.” Jada went on to clarify that the first words she uttered to her husband after the slap was “Are you okay?”
Following the awkward interaction, Will was awarded Best Actor for his role in the sports drama King Richard. Days after he received the prestigious award, Will was banned from the Academy event for 10 years for his inappropriate behaviour.
Later on in the interview, 59-year-old Kotb brough up how the pair had battled a “barrage of rumours” about the couple – including that they have an open marriage, they’re swingers and the pair are both gay to name a few.
(Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here.
The host asked: “What, if anything, is true?” to which Jada replied: “I would say that none of that’s true. I definitely can understand why there would be misunderstandings but none of it’s true.” Smith and Pinkett share two children, Willow and Jaden, as well as a son Trey, from Smith’s first marriage.
When asked why the pair haven’t got a divorce, Jada replied: “We love our family and we love each other. You know, it’s more of a life partnership. Now, ten years from now, who knows?”
For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up for one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
