Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals She & Will Smith Have Been Separated Since 2016

In a tease from her upcoming primetime special with Today‘s Hoda Kotb, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016 and have lived “completely separate lives.”

When Kotb asked the Girls Trip actress why they decided to separate rather than divorce, Jada said, “I think just not being ready yet. Still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in [a] partnership, right, and in regards to ‘how do we present that to people,’ you know? And we hadn’t figured that out.”

There have been several ups and downs regarding Jada and Will’s marriage over the years, including rumors of infidelity. In 2020, singer August Alsina claimed he and Jada dated while she was married. Jada later stated that she and Will had an open marriage.

In an exclusive clip from her upcoming @NBCNews primetime special with @HodaKotb, Jada Pinkett Smith reveals her current relationship status with Will Smith, ahead of the release of Pinkett Smith’s memoir “Worthy.” pic.twitter.com/hMoAwi3ETz

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 11, 2023

“Jada never believed in conventional marriage,” Will said in a previous interview with GQ. “Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up… We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison.”

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As for why the relationship fractured, Jada told Kotb, “I think 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.”

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to go through with a divorce. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce,” she shared. “We will work through whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”

However, she did confirm that she and Will now live separately. Jada will go into more detail about her marriage to Will in her upcoming memoir Worthy, which will be released on October 17

Jada’s Story – An NBC News Special, Friday, October 13, at 8 pm et, NBC