Will & Jada Pinkett Smith Memoir Drama What Happens When Unconditional Love Turns Toxic

A-list couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are putting themselves and their relationship at the center of controversial and converging headlines once again.

Jada Pinkett Smith had viewers scratching their heads when on a series of back-to-back appearances on the TODAY show, she dropped another bomb. Her and husband of 26 years, Will Smith, have been secretly separated since 2016.

But only a few days later she revised her statement during a second "damage control" appearance.

In Her New Tell-All Memoir, Jada Reveals She and Will Smith Were Only Pretending to Be Married?

Ahead of her upcoming memoir Worthy, Jada Pinkett Smith, 52, revealed in yet another "exclusive" interview that she and husband Will Smith, 55, have been "living separate lives" for 7 years.

The Red Table Host disclosed the info while discussing the infamous slap at The Oscars. The one we all know too well.

Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock in the face after the comedian called Jada "G.I. Jane" in his monologue – a reference to Pinkett Smith's shaved head. At the time Jada was open about her struggle with alopecia.

Fans were quick to point out that Will Smith first seems to laugh at the joke while Jada sits back and rolls her eyes.

The camera then cuts back to Chris Rock, but by the time it returns back to Will Smith – his entire demeanour had radically changed.

Jada Pinkett Smith Does Damage Control

Apparently, though, Jada Pinkett Smith wanted to set the record straight and inform the public that she had nothing to do with her now disgraced husband's actions.

“I did that eye roll not so much for me — and I think this is really important — but the fact that there could be a jab at alopecia.” 

- Jada Pinkett Smith, explains her reaction to Chris Rock joke

After storming the stage, Smith returned to his seat, screaming, "keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth" However, according to Jada, being called his "wife" was more shocking than the slap itself!

Jada and Will Have Lived Separately For Seven Years

In her initial interview with the TODAY show, Jada Pinkett Smith confirmed, that despite their red carpet appearances and PDA over the years that she and Will Smith "had not called each other husband and wife for years".

Jada Pinkett's curious claims are only further confused by her ambiguous language. The TODAY Show host wants to make sure she has it right, so she asked for clarification. Jada Pinkett Smith definitively says while they are not "divorced on paper", because she "made a promise" (weird logic, but ok)--she and Will Smith live "completely separate lives", and are for all intents and purposes, divorced. Just minus the paperwork.

"I made a promise there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through whatever. And I haven't been able to break that promise."

- Jada Pinkett Smith, TODAY Show

Media outlets were quick to report on Jada Pinkett Smith's shocking interview, and it wasn't the most flattering coverage to say the least. The actress turned author received lots of negative press following her grand reveal. It was hard for fans not to feel deceived by a public figure who so often spouts that she is completely honest and authentic.

Following the backlash, Pinkett Smith appeared for a second time on the TODAY Show to clear the air, that she had failed to clear the first time. Pinkett Smith frustratingly puts the confusion on the hosts shoulders for the "misunderstanding". She doubles back on her statement that she and Will Smith are "working hard" and are not separated, instead saying Will is her "great love" and they are in a "deep healing space".

"The whole journey has brought Will and I closer in such an authentic way," Jada backtracks.

Naturally, it was hard not to feel like Jada Pinkett Smith was washing her hands clean of all wrong doing, and that once again, disappointingly, Will Smith is letting her.

Will Smith Tries To Use Humour to Deflect, But His Jokes Fall Short Against Stark Reality

Yesterday, Will Smith joined the conversation surrounding his tumultuous marriage, in a divisive way.

In an Instagram captioned "OFFICIAL STATEMENT", Will Smith starts off the video alleging he is about to share his real opinion. before the video is edited to a series of birds-eye view, panned-out stills of the universe.

The joke is obviously a light-hearted jab--and at this point in history, a totally welcome jab--at inflated celebrity egos and misguided sense of self-importance, and it almost works!

If it wasn't more sad than it was self-aware.

As Chris Rock aptly pointed out in his Netflix comedy special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, when it comes to Will Smith's and Jada Pinkett Smith's confusing marriage?

“She hurt him way more than he hurt me.”

Rock is, of course, referencing the painful (and viral) conversation that took place when Jada admitted to an affair with a family friend. She followed up this admission by asking how it made Will feel. Fans were not impressed with Will's "beta" behaviour and allowing his wife to disrespect him so casually and publicly.

“Everybody in the world called him a b*tch. They called his wife a predator,” Rock said. “Everybody called him a b*tch and who’s he hit? Me! [Someone] he knows he can beat."

- Chris Rock, on former friend Will Smith assaulting

When Trying To Control The Narrative Gets Out Of Control

If there's anything we can learn from Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's marriage is that trying to control the narrative may just make for a more confusing one.

We don't need to have all the answers. But when we don't know what to do sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. Explosive actions and reactive behaviour doesn't just harm ourselves, but it can harm others in our life too.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith share adult children Jaden Smith, 25, and Willow Smith, 22 (Will has a son, Trey Smith, from a previous relationship). But Jada's need for the public to sign off on all her marital grievances may be causing her family more pain than she realizes.

This certainly isn't the first time the family's private affairs were shared publicly. In fact, with her divulging podcast Red Table Talk, Jada has earned the reputation of oversharing her family's private life. Reports say their kids have had enough, "they wish some of their family's private matters remained private."

When Unconditional Love Isn't Enough

For Will Smith's part? It seems at least his love is unconditional. Smith made an emotional speech supporting his wife at a press event for her new memoir Worthy, describing their marriage as “a sloppy public experiment in unconditional love.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making mistakes. In relationships that will last half a lifetime, we're bound to do it! However, if your goal is to heal, perhaps it is best to focus on that actual healing, instead of telling everyone how good you are at healing.

There is a fine line between unconditional love and staying in a toxic relationship and continuing a cycle of abuse.

Only Will and Jada can know for certain what is best for them. But until they get to their final destination, maybe it's a good idea to keep the journey to themselves.