Jada Pinkett Smith Says Will Hadn’t Called Her His ‘Wife’ For ‘A Long Time’ Before Oscars Slap

Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed another small detail that left her “really shocked” after her husband Will slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. 

During the 2022 ceremony, the comedian made a joke about Jada’s shaved head, a hairstyle which she chose to adopt after sharing her experiences of alopecia. 

In response, Will took to the stage, slapped Chris, returned to his seat, and yelled: “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

However, it wasn’t just the slap that left Jada stunned, but Will referring to her as her “wife.” 

Earlier this week, Jada revealed that she and Will have been privately living separately for the past seven years.

Ahead of the release of her new memoir, Worthy, she opened up to NBC News’ Hoda Kotb about the Oscars incident. 

“First of all, I’m really shocked, because mind you, I’m not there. We haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time,” she recalled. 

Jada said Will’s choice of words had left her confused, before she added: “I’m really worried for Will because I don’t know what’s going on.”

This comes after Jada revealed that she and Will, who married back in 1997, have been separated since 2016, and now live “completely separate lives”. 

Jada also looked back on her own reaction to Chris’ comments after the cameras caught her doing an eye-roll, after the dig about her appearance. 

She said: “I did that eye roll not so much for me — and I think this is really important — but the fact that there could be a jab at alopecia.”

Jada also speaks at length about the Oscars incident – and the aftermath – in her new book, Worthy, which is released on 17 October. 

Jada’s Story – An NBC News Special airs in the US on Friday, 13 October on NBC.