While attending the London Wireless Festival in 2015, Jada Pinkett Smith met August Alsina for the first time. “He came to see Willow and Jade perform in 2015 in London, and that’s where we met,” she revealed during a 2018 episode of “Red Table Talk.” “He asked me that day, he was like, ‘Ma’am, I could really use some help dealing with life.'” At the time of their meeting, Alsina was struggling with Percocet addiction.
In the following years, Pinkett Smith, alongside members of her family, rallied around Alsina, providing him with support amid his substance abuse problems. Eventually, after a call with the “Girls Trip” star during which she broke down, Alsina decided it was time to get clean. “That was the thing. To feel your emotion and hear you bawling, that was really a reality check for me because I was like, ‘Wow. If someone else can love you that much that it hurts them, why doesn’t it bother you that you’re actually hurting yourself?’ That moment really changed the directory of my life just to start walking away from it,” he explained on the show.
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As they journeyed through his sobriety together, Alsina and Pinkett Smith got closer, even going as far as attending the 2017 BET awards together, per Vulture. This, however, was not the extent of the pair’s relationship, as new details soon came to light.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
