The much-loved power couple, actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have captivated Hollywood (and beyond) for years. Will, known for getting his big break in the hit show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has gone on to star in countless runaway success silverscreen films. He also launched a music career, getting the world to strut their moves on the dance floor to hits like Switch.
Jada, an equally successful entertainment powerhouse, also started out on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where the two met. She has also starred in movies like The Matrix and did voice acting for the Madagascar trilogy.
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But underneath all the glamour and fame, the two have also made headlines for their embattled marriage. According to Oprah Magazine they started dating in 1995 after Will’s first marriage to actress Sheree Zampino Fletcher ended. Will asked Jada if she was seeing anyone, and she replied no. “Cool, you’re seeing me now,” he responded smoothly, and things took off!
The lovebirds got engaged in 1997, and the day after the engagement, they found out that Jada was pregnant. They held a private ceremony at a hotel in Baltimore, Jada’s hometown. According to People, there were no invitations sent out as the pair wanted to stay below the radar.
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Throughout the years they have stuck together, but not without a few bumps in the road. After a public statement Jada made in 2013, many took her comments to mean that she and Will are in an open marriage and seeing other people. “I’ve always told Will, ‘You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay’,” she said.
Later, however, the actress took to social media to clarify, and said that this was not the case. “Will and I BOTH can do WHATEVER we want, because we TRUST each other to do so. This does NOT mean we have an open relationship… this means we have a GROWN one,” she said on Facebook.
However, more recently, another incident rocked the boat. In 2016, rumours did the rounds that Jada had an affair with singer August Alsina. Jada and Will were reportedly on a “break” at the time, and Jada became good friends with Alsina after which they began a relationship. At the same time, Will was said to be “involved” with model Heidy de la Rosa.
“We decided that we were going to separate for a period of time,” Jada said, according to Elle. Neither of the two regarded their extra-marital relationships as wrong, and they never got divorced.
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The two did decide to get back together, however, and are still together today. Stronger than ever, the movie stars say they are and will remain married, but not in the traditional sense.
“We don’t even say we’re married anymore,” Will said. “We refer to ourselves as ‘life partners’, where you get into that space where you realize you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life. There’s no deal breakers. There’s nothing she could do – ever – nothing that would break our relationship. She has my support til death, and it feels so good to get to that space.”
The couple share two children and will celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary this year.
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