After ‘holy slap,’ Jada Pinkett Smith says she’ll ‘never leave’ Will Smith

Pinkett Smith previously shared that she initially mistook the infamous Oscars altercation for a skit; she now says the “holy slap” had a positive impact on her marriage.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith are in it for the long haul, with the “Worthy” author sharing that she “will never leave” her better half.

During an interview with the Daily Mail’s YOU Magazine, Pinkett Smith shared that after seven years of separation from Will Smith, his decision to slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ultimately brought them back together, People reported.

“That moment of the s— hitting the fan is when you see where you really are,” said Pinkett Smith. “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.”

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive for the premiere of Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” on Nov. 30, 2022, in Westwood, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)

Pinkett Smith told People in October that she initially mistook the Academy Awards moment for a “skit,” even as she watched it happen right before her eyes.

She claimed she didn’t know it was real until Smith started walking back to his chair, and the first words she said to him after the ceremony were, “Are you okay?”

“I’m going to be by his side,” she added, “but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.”

Last week, Smith discussed his “adversities of the last couple years” at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, where he detailed his relationship with fame, calling it a “unique monster,” according to People.

“You can’t get excited when everybody is saying good things about you,” he said, “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.”

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Smith also stressed the significance of knowing who he is and what he wants to do in the world and not relying on people to “applaud for me to stay focused on my mission.”

As for the Smiths as a couple, Pinkett Smith said the infamous Oscars slap controversy, in which her husband slapped Chris Rock after he made a joke about the actress’ shaved head, impacted their marriage.

“I nearly didn’t even attend the Oscars that year, but I’m glad I did,” said Pinkett Smith, People reported. “I call it the ‘holy slap’ now because so many positive things came after it.”

She added, “Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?”

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