Jada Pinkett Smith reveals she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016: Exclusive

Jada Pinkett Smith has opened up about her relationship with Will Smith in an exclusive preview of her NBC News prime-time special with Hoda Kotb. The special, set to air on October 13, delves into their marriage, which has seen them separated and living “completely separate lives” since 2016, nearly two decades after they married in 1997. Pinkett Smith, who explores their relationship in her upcoming memoir “Worthy,” explains that they are no longer romantically together but are still legally married.

When Kotb asks Pinkett Smith why they hadn’t shared their relationship status before, the actress explained it was because they were “just not being ready yet” and were trying to figure out “how to be in partnership.” The couple had faced challenges by the time they reached 2016, feeling exhausted from trying to live up to each other’s expectations.

Though Pinkett Smith has considered a legal divorce, she hasn’t gone through with it, promising, “there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce.”

Their marriage has been the subject of headlines over the years, including Pinkett Smith’s “entanglement” with singer August Alsina, which they addressed in a Red Table Talk interview in 2020. In the episode, they revealed that they had been “going through a very difficult time” before her relationship with Alsina.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have two children together, Jaden and Willow, and Will has a son named Trey from his previous marriage. Pinkett Smith’s memoir covers her life from “the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power,” as well as her high school friendship with rapper Tupac Shakur.