Jada Pinkett Smith and her partner, Will Smith, became husband and wife in the year 1997.

Their marriage grabbed public attention last year when Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia.

Before the onstage altercation, Smith shouted at Rock, “My wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,” while the whole world watched the event live.

Lately, Jada Pinkett Smith has come to the decision that it’s the right moment to disclose that, in a technical sense, she remains Will Smith’s spouse, despite their seven-year separation. They separated during the infamous Oscars event.

As part of her memoir promotion campaign, Jada Pinkett Smith sat down for an interview with American TV journalist Hoda Kotb and also did a cover story with People magazine.

The interview with Kotb will air as a one-time TV special in the United States on Friday night. But excerpts of the interview were broadcast on the American morning show “Today,” where they discussed her marriage.

Living Separate Lives
Jada Pinkett Smith revealed to Kotb that since 2016, she and Smith have been living separately.

Kotb described it as a “show marriage” that they were living.

She told the magazine, “As time went on, I started thinking about getting a divorce, about separating, and we went through several different phases in our relationship where we went ahead and had a different life.”

Why Not Divorce?
Jada Pinkett Smith told Kotb that she did consider legal divorce, but it didn’t happen.

She articulates, “Right from the commencement of this entire journey, I emphatically conveyed that the notion of divorce was far from my thoughts; whatever path we choose, it will require both our dedicated commitment.

Unfortunately, I discover my incapacity to honor that solemn commitment with remorse.

This couple is not currently planning to take legal steps toward a divorce.

She observes, “Together, we are engaged in a deeply significant undertaking.

Our affection for each other runs deep, and we are in the process of deciphering its significance for our relationship.

They attended the Oscars as a family
Let’s go back to the Oscars, where Smith referred to Pinkett Smith as “my wife.”

In a segment of her book published by People magazine, Pinkett Smith writes that they were not a couple at the event, but a family.

She recalls that when he referred to her as “my spouse,” there was a fleeting moment when she recognized that, despite their separate paths, she remained his wife.

Pinkett Smith thought the slap was a stunt

She tells people that she doesn’t believe the altercation between Smith and Rock was real.

She observes, “It seemed unlikely that Will had made a genuine connection with Chris, for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I’ve witnessed Will spar with professional fighters, and he’s known for his powerful punches.”

“Hence, when Chris recoiled, it gave the impression that he either evaded the blow or that Will’s strike didn’t make contact.

But she realized it wasn’t an act.
She expounds, “I only came to the understanding that this wasn’t a prearranged show when I observed Will retracing his path back to his seat

In a separate article on the People website, Pinkett Smith says that Rock tried to apologize to them.

He mentioned, ‘I didn’t intend to cause you harm,’ she conveys.

She adds that they haven’t had any communication with the pair since the incident.

As for the timing of their marriage revelation, Kotb offered a theory: “There comes a point in your life when you think, ‘Why am I still putting on this act? Let me just speak my truth.

“So this book, appropriate, is it.”

In her interview with Kotb, Pinkett Smith says that she and her husband kept their living arrangement private because they weren’t ready to make it public.

She says, “[We] were trying to figure out how to have a partnership.”

“We hadn’t figured it out.”

She conveys to People magazine that they preferred to keep their relationship private, asserting, “We didn’t believe it was anyone else’s concern.

What has Will Smith said?

At the moment, there’s no activity on his social media profiles.

Nevertheless, he’s set to launch a new podcast called “Class of ’88” by the end of this month. Interestingly, it isn’t being marketed as a podcast addressing the issue at hand. Instead, it’s presented as a series of interviews with his “longtime friends” such as Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa.

It’s noteworthy that the Oscar winner has received a 10-year suspension from the Academy Awards.

Smith apologized to Rock and the Oscars audience in March before releasing a video apology in July.