When it comes to Hollywood power couples, none spark more confusion, conversation, and eyebrow raises than Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. From Red Table Talk revelations to shock-inducing interviews, the duo has kept the public guessing about the true state of their marriage for years.
Despite breakup rumors, the two remain legally married and publicly supportive of one another. So why are they still together, even when it seems like every sign points to separation? They’ve been through entanglements, viral moments, and an Oscars slap, but somehow, Will and Jada Smith are still in it. Here’s why.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: From red carpet royalty to infamous internet meme
Once hailed as one of Hollywood’s most inspiring power couples, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have spent the last decade watching their seemingly rock-solid marriage into a full-blown public spectacle. From emotional overshares to viral moments that sparked endless internet debate, their relationship has been anything but private, or simple.
The chaos reached new levels in 2020 when Pinkett Smith famously admitted to an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina during a Red Table Talk episode that featured a visibly shattered Smith across the table. The clip became an instant meme, and the actor’s sad, watery eyes turned into one of the internet’s most-used reaction images.
Smith addressed the viral moment in a video with his partner in a 2021 YouTube video. He explained, “I’m not sad a lot. I think because I drink so much coffee I get dehydrated and it makes my eyes water.”
Smith continued, “People think I’m crying all the time.” Pinkett Smith added, “But he’s not. Such a shame.”
The couple discussed the viral Red Table Talk moment, as Pinkett Smith maintained, “He wasn’t crying.” Smith added, “It was midnight. We were shooting at midnight cause we were trying to rush to go to the airport. I said to reshoot it but it played out with everyone saying, ‘Poor Will.’”
But that was just the beginning. In 2022, Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on live television during the Oscars after the comedian joked about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. She has been open about her alopecia-related hair loss.
This incident rocked Hollywood and left fans split between sympathy and shock. Despite the PR nightmare, the couple claimed love and loyalty to one another, leaving fans and critics alike wondering why they are still together.
A marriage built on ‘brutal honesty’ or chronic oversharing?
If Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have become known for anything besides their acting careers, it’s their penchant for revealing everything, and then some. Over the years, they’ve described their relationship as a “life partnership” rather than a conventional marriage, often framing it as a spiritual connection that transcends monogamy.
The Girls Trip star openly discussed their sex life, emotional struggles, and personal growth journeys on Red Table Talk, a Facebook Live show she co-hosted with her daughter Willow, and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris. Meanwhile, the Oscar winner’s 2021 memoir Will revealed his traumas, fantasies, and a level of surprising vulnerability.
In the book, Smith admitted his insecurities about Pinkett Smith’s close bond with the late rapper Tupac Shakur. “The way Jada loved ‘Pac rendered me incapable of being friends with him. I was too immature.”
Critics argue the couple’s unfiltered storytelling feels more like performance than healing and that they’ve turned into a “brand.” Variety reported, “The Pinkett-Smith family business has many arms, but runs on a commitment to ‘transparency’ that’s nevertheless carefully curated.”
And yet, the duo insist this radical transparency is what keeps them united. But is it something more?
Loyalty and legacy hold Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith together
So, why are they still together? For one, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have built an empire individually and as a unit.
With decades of joint red carpets, business ventures, and two children, Jaden and Willow; divorce could be far more complicated than it appears. There’s also the shared narrative that love isn’t always easy, but it’s enduring.
Pinkett Smith revealed in her 2023 memoir Worthy that they’ve been living “separate lives” since 2016. In 2025 Smith addressed his relationship with Jada in his new song, “Int. Barbershop — Day.”
“Him and Jada both crazy girl, what you talkin’ bout? You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth. He needs to take another year and untangle some s***.”
Still, Pinkett Smith and Will remain committed. “I was devastated even worse than a divorce. We broke up within our marriage and got back together again,” Smith said in the second part of their Red Table Talk interview. “We had to rebuild with new rules and something way, completely different.”
Pinkett Smith added, “I always knew I’m not marriage material. What I did know is I’m a ride-or-die chick.”
The couple subsequently joked, “We ride together. We die together. Bad marriage for life.”
Love them, question them, or side-eye them; the couple continues to defy Hollywood norms and public expectations in their unapologetic way. Their relationship might not fit the mold, but it’s rooted in a complex mix of history, shared growth, and a deep (if unconventional) bond that has somehow stood the test of time.
Whether it’s emotional honesty, mutual respect, or simply a refusal to let the world define their marriage, one thing’s clear: whatever the Smiths are doing, it’s entirely on their terms. And in a town full of curated images and fleeting romances, maybe that’s exactly what keeps them together.
