Jada Pinkett Smith admitted on Friday that she had an affair with R&B singer August Alsina while she was separated from husband Will Smith.
The actor’s reps had previously denied the relationship after Alsina brought it up during a June 30 interview with “The Breakfast Club” radio show host Angela Yee.
Alsina told Yee that the Smiths are “life partners” but no longer romantically involved.
Although Pinkett Smith’s representatives denied Alsina’s account, the “Girls Trip” actor admitted that he’d told the truth during an exchange with her husband Friday on “Red Table Talk,” her show on Facebook Watch.
The Smiths revealed that when they were separated about 4½ years ago, Pinkett Smith and Alsina did have an affair.
“[You and I] were over,” Pinkett Smith said to her husband. “From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August.”
Both denied Alsina’s claim that Will Smith gave Alsina permission to date his wife.
“One of the things I want to clear up that was kind of swirling in the press was you giving permission, which the only person who can give permission in that particular circumstance is myself,” Pinkett Smith said. “But what August was actually trying to communicate — because I could actually see how he would perceive it as permission because we were separated amicably — I think he also wanted to make it clear that he’s not a homewrecker, which he’s not.”
Pinkett Smith told her husband the “particular journey” she took with Alsina allowed her to “really confront a lot of emotional immaturity, emotional insecurity” and help her “do some really deep healing.”
She added:
“And as I came through and started to realize certain things about you and I, he decided to break all communication with me, which was totally understandable. And I let that be and hadn’t talked to him since, so it is a little weird that all this stuff is coming out now, since this was several [years ago].”
Pinkett Smith expressed happiness that she and Smith have since repaired their relationship.
“We have really gotten to that new place of unconditional love,” she said. Smith added that the whole thing feels like “years ago” to him.
You can see the complete interview here:
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