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Will Smith is making it clear where his loyalty and feelings lie regarding his estranged wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. As The Shade Room previously reported, on October 11, the actress revealed that she and Will have been separated since 2016.
Days later, Will Smith addressed his “emotional blindness” toward his wife. Additionally, he poked fun at Jada breaking the internet with her revelation.
Earlier this week, Jada Pinkett Smith updated the world on her current relationship with her estranged husband. The 52-year-old explained that her recent revelations have brought them “closer,” putting them in a space of “deep healing.”
On Wednesday, the Enoch Pratt Free Library welcomed Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Worthy” memoir to the Brown Lecture series. During the event, the actress shared a conversation with CNN’s Laura Coates.
According to the event docket, the 52-year-old reflected on her “childhood in Baltimore to her controversial life in Hollywood.” Additionally, the mother of two expanded on how she “navigates complicated, false narratives about her marriage, her family, and herself.”
The Baltimore Banner adds that before the discussion concluded, Smith was joined on stage by Will, their children, Willow and Jaden, and Will Smith’s eldest son, Trey.
According to the outlet, Will moved the event forward by sharing his support for Jada.
“I just really wanted to come out and just be here and hold it down for you the way you have held it down for me,” Smith reportedly told the 52-year-old before the pair hugged.
The 55-year-old described their relationship as “brutiful” (beautiful and brutal) and a “sloppy public experiment in unconditional love.” Additionally, the actor explained that he’s achieved all he’s wanted in life due to Jada’s “sacrifices.”
“…I stand here before you today, I am happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I have achieved every single thing I have ever wanted in my entire life… all of the awards, all of the money, the family — everything I’ve ever dreamed,” the actor told the crowd. “And those dreams were largely built on the foundation of Jada’s sacrifices. There were many times when Jada put her career aside so I could follow the dreams of mine.”
As the event continued, Will posed a question for the crowd.
“Could you love somebody forever no matter what?” the actor asked as the room filled with applause. “… Can you show up and love somebody for the rest of your life, even when you don’t agree with them?”
The 55-year-old proclaimed that Jada is the “best friend” he’s “ever had on this planet.” Furthermore, he pledged to “show up for her and support her for the rest” of his life.
Before the 55-year-old left the stage, he reportedly thanked the audience.
“Thank you all for being a place for Jada to find her voice,” the 55-year-old told them, per The Baltimore Banner. “Baltimore, coming home to you is really beautiful.”
The actress’s lecture event on Wednesday evening arrives on the heels of the publishing of her exclusive interview with Essence. During the conversation, Smith explained why she decided to reshape the “narrative” about her life.
“I was just thinking, the day that I’m gone, I don’t want my kids to have to defend me. You know what I mean? I don’t want my kids to have to tell that story, which they would’ve eventually had to do,” Smith explained. “And I didn’t write the book for that necessarily. It was just that wanting to really share my journey just for others that are going through similar difficulties. I mean, all of us are dealing with challenges in our life, right?”
Additionally, the 52-year-old even took accountability for the role she may have played in creating those “narratives.”
“It’s like you can’t expect to be in the public eye and your life not be of interest… And being misunderstood is part of it,” Smith explained. “…
And in knowing that, as I talk about in the book, I have to take responsibility for some of those false narratives out there and how I’ve participated in the distribution of a false narrative that actually contributed to other false narratives… I also have to take responsibility for my part and just understand that it’s just part of human nature… it’s actually nothing to take personally.”
