Amidst allegations of a strained marriage, Jada Pinkett Smith has opened up about her husband, Will Smith, and their highly publicized encounter at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.
In a recently published interview with Daily Mail’s YOU Magazine, the 52-year-old actress referred to the incident as a “holy slap,” stating that despite its controversy, it led to many positive outcomes for their relationship.
“I nearly didn’t even attend the Oscars that year, but I’m glad I did,” Jada shared. “I call it the ‘holy slap’ now because so many positive things came after it.”
In case you missed it, Will Smith took to the stage during the awards ceremony and hit comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Jada’s bald head. The actress had publicly revealed her struggles with alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss. However, Rock claims to have been unaware of this at the time of his joke.
Since then, tensions have arisen amid rumors of the couple’s separation. In her memoir released last October, Jada announced that she and Will had been “separated” since 2016, but remained married.
Jada Pinkett Smith calls Will Smith’s Oscar slap ‘holy’, says it saved her marriage
“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,” she said
Adding how one slap made her realise… pic.twitter.com/hiDwxnaU4m
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) December 11, 2023
Reflecting on the ‘holy slap’ incident, Jada told YOU Magazine, “That moment of the s*** hitting the fan is when you see where you really are. 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.”
She continued, “Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?”
Jada also spoke about her initial reaction to the slap, while promoting her memoir “Worthy,” stating that she had thought it was a planned skit until her husband returned to his seat. However, she chose to stand by Will throughout the controversy, saying, “I’m going to be by his side, but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.”
When asked about the state of their marriage, Jada remained firm on her promise to never give up on their relationship. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce,” she shared in an interview with NBC News. “We will work through…whatever,” she stated. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”