Will Smith shut down any ambiguity about infidelity in his 25-year marriage to wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.
The 53-year-old, who is nominated for Best Actor at the 2022 Academy Awards for his performance in the film King Richard, recently (March 13) appeared on CBS Sunday Morning with Gayle King for a candid conversation about his impressive career and headlining-making personal life.
When King asked, “How do you handle all the chatter about your marriage?” Smith simply replied, “I have decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people.”
However, when probed about his wife’s admitted “entanglement” with R&B singer August Alsina, Smith was not so altruistic. “You both have talked very candidly—it’s a very famous story—infidelity in the marriage and how you navigated that that time …”
“There’s never been infidelity in our marriage,” the WILL author quickly interjected.
King inquired further asking, “Never been infidelity in the marriage?”
“Never,” the father of three doubled down, explaining, “Jada and I talk about everything. And we have never surprised one another with anything, ever.”
Smith’s commentary left many viewers confused because in the past he unequivocally denied Alsina’s claim that he was aware of the May-December romance between his wife and the 29-year-old. Long plagued with rumors of having an open marriage, the couple, who together share children Jaden, 23, and Willow, 21, finally gave fans some insight into their private life after the pair appeared together for an emotional tell-all on Jada’s Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk in July 2020.
During his chat with King, Smith admitted as a child he kind of lived in his “imagination.” He also discussed contemplating suicide at the age of 13 after his parents separated because he believed “it was somehow my fault that my family was falling apart.”
Ever the optimist, the BEL-AIR exec shared, “My suffering helped me to become who I am.”
Watch Will Smith’s full interview with Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning below.