Who is Jada Pinkett Smith and when did she marry Will Smith?
JADA Pinkett Smith is a popular American actress who has starred in hit films including The Nutty Professor and Matrix Reloaded.
However, in recent years, the star has become almost as famous for her private life after her relationship with her husband, Will Smith, came under scrutiny. Here's everything we know...
Who is Jada Pinkett Smith and how old is she?
Jada Pinkett Smith is an actress who was born on September 1, 1971, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Her first notable role was alongside Eddie Murphy in the 1996 hit The Nutty Professor.
She went on to star as Niobe in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions – which helped put her name well and truly on the map.
Jada’s career isn’t just on-screen though, she’s also a singer in the band Wicked Wisdom.
When did Jada Pinkett Smith marry Will Smith?
Jada Pinkett Smith married Will Smith on December 31, 1997, in front of around 100 guests near her hometown in Baltimore.
The couple met in 1994 on the set of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air when she auditioned for the role of his character's girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes.
She was considered too short and the role went to Nia Long – while Jada became his girlfriend in real life.
The two went on to have children, Willow and Jaden, who have both become stars in their own right.
Did Jada Pinkett Smith have an affair?
However, their marriage hasn't always been smooth sailing and the couple has been open about their marital difficulties.
In October 2018 her husband Will revealed she once cried for "45 days straight" during a tough time in their marriage.
In July 2020, the couple shared that they had been gone through a period of separation - during which Jada revealed that she had had an "entanglement" with rapper August Alisna - but the exact details of Jada's relationship with Alisna have never been confirmed.
At the time, the couple sat down on Red Table Talk to discuss the situation.
There had long been rumors that Will and Jada's marriage was open - and in September 2021, Will seemingly confirmed that this was the case in an interview with British
He told the magazine that he didn't want fans to think that it was only Jada who had had sexual relationships outside of the marriage and that they didn't want their union to feel "like a prison".
What are her hit movies?
Like her husband Will, Jada also has a string of hit film credits to her name, including...
- The Nutty Professor (1996)
- Scream 2 (1997)
- Ali (2001)
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
- The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
- Madagascar (2005)
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
- Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
- Magic Mike XXL (2015)
- Girls Trip (2017)
Did Jada Pinkett Smith go to school with Tupac Shakur?
Jada Pinkett Smith was a childhood friend of Tupac Shakur, meeting at the Baltimore School for the Arts together.
The actress has revealed that she was a drug dealer at the time of meeting him and she credits him for saving her.
She explained: “It’s kinda hard because I haven’t really told the whole story. One of the things that’s very interesting that I’ve never really said before is that when I first met Pac, when we first met, I was a drug dealer. Yes.”
“Pac and I’s relationship was about survival. That’s how it started. And I know that most people wanna always connect us in this romance thing, but that’s just because they don’t have the story.”
Their friendship has been explored in the new Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me.
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What did Jada say about her marriage to Will Smith?
In an exclusive interview with People that was published on Wednesday, October 11, Jada admitted she and Will were separated for six years before March 2022. She told the couple were "still figuring it out."
“We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us," she continued.
She made the admission when opening up about Will's infamous Oscars slap moment. The actor rushed on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Jada.
"Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can't wait to see you," Chris said at the time.
Jada has alopecia.
"Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth," Will told Chris at the time.