Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 94th Annual Academy Awards.Photo:Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Jada Pinkett Smithis getting candid aboutWill Smith’s infamousOscar slap, which she’s now crediting for helping her realize she “will never leave” her husband.
In a new interview with theDaily Mail’sYOU Magazine, the 52-year-old actress explained that Will’s decision to slapChris Rockduring the 2022 Academy Awards has earned a new title for her: The “holy slap.”
“I nearly didn’t even attend the Oscars that year, but I’m glad I did,” Jada told the outlet.
“I call it the ‘holy slap’ now because so many positive things came after it.”
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.Kevin Mazur/VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair
According to Jada, the Oscars controversy — in which theFresh Princealum, 55, slapped Rock after he made a joke about the actress' appearance during the ceremony — made an impact in their marriage.
“That moment of the s— hitting the fan is when you see where you really are,” said Jada, who previously revealed that she and Will had beenseparated for seven years. “After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will’s side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him.”
She added: “Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?”
Speaking with PEOPLE in October for the release of her memoir,Worthy, Jada shared that she initially thought the Academy Awards moment was “a skit.”
Jada Pinkett Smith appears at the 2023 Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College.Jason Koerner/Getty Images
Jason Koerner/Getty Images
As for Will, theEmancipationstar opened up about his “adversities of the last couple years” last week at theRed Sea International Film Festivalin Saudi Arabia.
During a conversation in front of an audience, he detailed his relationship with fame.
“You can’t get excited when everybody is saying good things about you, because the more you take when people are saying good things about you, the more hurt you’re gonna be when people are saying bad things about you,” he added.
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Smith also explained the importance of being “clear about who I am and what I am attempting to do in the world,” and not needing others to “applaud for me to stay focused on my mission.”
“I am in the process of perfecting my virtue. I would say the greatest thing that has happened is I have been deeply humbled and deeply inspired to perfect my light,” he said. “And that’s what this next phase of my life is going to be — perfecting and shining my light as brightly as I can, on as many people as I can.”
source: people.com
