Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship with Chris Rock is much more complicated than just the 2022 Oscars slap. Magic Mike actress Jada has revealed that Chris once asked her out on a date, when he believed she was getting a divorce from husband Will Smith.
She made the revelation in her new book, Worthy, an autobiography that will be released on October 17, but revealed more details in a new interview with People magazine.
© George Pimentel"I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce," she shared. "So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I'd love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren't you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that."
Jada and Chris have had their ups and downs for years, said Jada, who revealed that her decision to publicly criticize the Oscars in 2016 for their failure to nominate any people of color came at a time when Chris was hosting the ceremony.
© Jeff Kravitz"I talk about this in the book, I think that there might be some misunderstanding between Chris and I as far as the 2016 Oscars. I think that he might've taken offense, which I meant no harm in offending. That wasn't my intention. But I do think that there's a big misunderstanding there,” the 52-year-old said.
“I probably should have called him and gone, ‘Hey, are you okay? And just know that although I'm speaking out about the Oscars, I do wish you the best and I just want you to know that.'"
© NBCJada also alleged that there were issues between Will and Chris that "they had before I even came into the picture in the late 80s", adding: "I’ve got to leave that to Will and Chris to talk about, but they got their stuff for sure."
That "stuff" as she called it, came to a head in 2022 when Will stormed the Oscars stage after Chris – who made an appearance to present an award – made a joke about Jada's alopecia which she had been diagnosed with years prior.
In the immediate aftermath it was unclear to everyone – in the room and at home watching – if it was a skit, but it was not; Will screamed "keep my wife's name out of your mouth," and slapped Chris across the face.
Will has since been banned from the Academy for 10 years.
"I mean, that's what comedians do," Jada said of the joke. "I would just have to say that I am not really here to make any judgment on how people decide to express themselves and express their art. I'll say that several times I've had my feelings hurt, for sure. I've had my feelings hurt a lot by Chris. But at the end of the day, too, being in the spotlight, it comes with the territory."
© Neilson BarnardThe new book comes with plenty of other bombshells, including the news that Jada and Will "decided that [they] were going to live completely separate lives" in 2016.
During an interview with Today's Hoda Kotb, which will air in full on October 13, 2023, Jada insisted it was a "divorce" but not on paper.
Will and Jada have continued to make red carpet appearances and social media posts together in the seven years since, and have never hinted at a split but Jada explained it was because they are "just not ready yet".
"[We're] still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership, right… how do we present that to people, you know? And we hadn't figured that out," she admitted.
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