Jada Pinkett Smith says Will Smith Oscars slap saved their marriage

'So many positive things came after it'

At the Academy Awards in 2022, Will Smith had walked on stage and slapped host Chris Rock after he made a G.I Jane joke about his wife,  Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia.

The moment made headlines across the world, and resulted in the I Am Legend actor being banned from the Oscars for 10 years.

But speaking to the Daily Mail, Pinkett Smith said that she now refers to the moment as the "holy slap."

She said: "I nearly didn't even attend the Oscars that year, but I'm glad I did.

"I call it the 'holy slap' now because so many positive things came after it."

Jada continued: "After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will's side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him."

Although they are not divorced, Pinkett Smith revealed earlier this year that she and Smith, who wed in 1997, have been separated for seven years and do not currently live together.

In her memoir, the 52-year-old said she and Smith have lived “completely separate lives” for seven years, having married in 1997.

Whilst they are still legally married, Pinkett Smith revealed the couple are not romantically together.

For years now, the relationship between Jada and Will has made headlines, with the pair both openly talking about their marriage.

Back in 2020, the couple discussed their marriage in an episode of Pinkett Smith’s show, Red Table Talk. In the episode, Pinkett Smith brought up her relationship with singer August Alsina during a time when the couple were separated, famously calling it an “entanglement” with Alsina.

The couple have previously said they are in an open relationship, whilst Pinkett Smith has spoken about having to lower her sex expectations of her husband.

Smith and Pinkett Smith share two children, 24-year-old son Jaden Smith and 21-year-old daughter Willow Smith. The ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ actor also has a 29-year-old son named Trey from his first marriage with ex-wife Sheree Zampino. 

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