Jada Pinkett Smith says she originally wanted to announce that she and Will Smith were separated on "Red Table Talk" back in 2020, but the "Bad Boys" star wasn't ready for the news to be made public.
The 52-year-old star revealed that the pair have been separated since 2016 in an interview with "Today" show host Hoda Kotb on Friday, ahead of the publication of her new memoir, "Worthy." She also denied the rumors that the couple are in an open marriage.
In a new interview on the "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa" podcast, which is scheduled for release on Wednesday, Pinkett Smith addressed why it took so long for her and Smith to announce their separation.
The "Matrix" actor told Kelly Ripa that she planned to open up about the split in 2020 after singer August Alsina discussed his relationship with Pinkett Smith in an interview with Angela Yee.
"When that person decided to come out and speak on it, that relationship had been over for two years, and I was in a place where I really didn't want to be emotionally blackmailed in that way, if that makes any sense," Pinkett Smith said.
Pinkett Smith went on to say that she originally planned to appear on "Red Table Talk" alone to address the situation, but Smith offered to join her.
"And I was like, 'Hey, I'm gonna own this. I have no shame around it.' So I was going to go to the table by myself, but then Will decided that he wanted to come to the table with me," she explained.
Pinkett Smith added: "He was like, 'I really don't want you to do this alone.' And I think the misconception was that I asked Will to come to the table. I forced him to come to the table, and that just wasn't the case. You can't force Will to do anything, okay?"
On the 2020 episode of "Red Table Talk," the Smiths openly discussed Pinkett Smith's "entanglement" with Alsina.
However, Pinkett Smith told Ripa that she sensed Smith was struggling to discuss the issues in their relationship, so she changed course.
"I started to see him get uncomfortable. I started to see that he was not ready, and my codependency kicked right in," the "Gotham" star recalled. "And I was like, I am going to make sure you are good by any means necessary, even if that means taking on the false narrative that I've been the adulterous wife."
Pinkett Smith also said that she didn't want to pivot away from the conversation, but she was conscious of her husband's feelings.
"And I came prepared — I did not wanna backpedal on that," said the actor. "I was like, I'm not gonna backstep on me needing this for myself. I want out of this handmade golden cage that I created for myself. And at the same time, how do I help take care of someone who's actually not ready for that part of the journey?"
