Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Reveal why they can NEVER divorce

Despite leading “completely separate lives” since 2016, American actress and talk show host Jada Pinkett Smith has explained why she cannot divorce her husband, Will Smith.

In an interview with Today’s Hoda Kotb,  Jada Pinkett Smith made some bombshell revelations about their marriage in her forthcoming memoir, ‘Worthy’.

Jada said she and her husband separated in 2016 and “live separately” from each other, despite putting on a public image that they have been a unified couple since they married in 1997.

Pinkett Smith went on to say that she kept the separation a secret as a result of “not being ready yet” and “still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership” with each other in terms of how they presented to the public.

When Kotb asked Jada what caused their marriage to fall apart, Jada explained that it came down to “a lot of things.” She revealed, “By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”

She explained why she hasn’t filed for divorce from Will, despite no longer sharing a romantic relationship. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through … whatever,” Jada said. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”

Following her confession, many have been wondering about Will Smith’s reaction to Jada Pinkett Smith’s separation claims. 

In an email to The New York Times, from a profile on Pinkett Smith, the Oscar-winning actor says the book “kind of woke him up.” 

Smith explained that the 52-year-old actress had “lived a life more on the edge than he had realized” and that she is more “resilient, clever, and compassionate than he had understood,” according to The Times.

“When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life,” he wrote, “a sort of emotional blindness sets in, and you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties”, Will Smith wrote.

During her appearance on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast, the host read the letter penned by Will Smith in response to her confession.

“I applaud and honor you. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I definitely would’ve hugged you more,” read the letter.

“I’ll start now. Welcome to the Authors Club,” Shetty said, continuing to read the letter. “I love you endlessly. Now go get some Merlot and take a rest.”

Jada initially laughed at Will’s comments, joking, “He know I can’t have no Merlot.” But the actress went on to express her appreciation for Will’s note. “That’s beautiful,” she said. “That’s why I can’t divorce that joker.”

‘Worthy’, which hits bookshelves Oct. 17, details Jada’s relationship with Tupac Shakur, how she overcame suicidal ideation, the Oscars slap felt around the world and the truth about her marriage to Will, who she has been secretly separated from for seven years.