LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jada Pinkett Smith recently faced heavy criticism regarding her treatment of her husband Will Smith as fans revisited her past confessions following a heartfelt birthday tribute.
The actress, 50, took to Instagram to celebrate her husband's 55th birthday, pouring her heart out in a message.
She wrote, "Willard. I am so glad you were born on this day. Without you I would not have experienced the greatest joy of my life… the love of our family."
"On this divine assignment we've chosen to walk together, I am grateful for the wells of laughter along the trails of tears we've shared," he added.
"Thank you for helping me learn to embrace it all … with a smile. Here's to 100+ more birthdays full of growth, acceptance and joy," the actress said as she concluded her post.
Jada Smith slammed for Will Smith's birthday post
However, the post was met with a wave of scathing comments from social media users who questioned the sentiment, considering Jada's previous public remarks about their long-standing marriage.
One user wrote on X, "'Growth, acceptance, & joy' AFTER she rudely harassed him on Instagram, so she could promote the therapist SHE found to help deal w/ 'His Nonsense.' He tried throwing her a big BDay Bash to help her feel loved when she was struggling. She 'taught' him that gesture was his ego."
Another added, "I'm not surprised it's so informal. She openly said she never wanted to marry him and only went through with it out of pressure because she was pregnant with Jaden."
"I have to bring this up. Not a fan of Jada Pinkett-Smith & even LESS of one now. This was HER public tribute to her husband #WillSmith for HIS birthday. No thank you. No 'love'. She didn’t even tag him. All 'I, I, I, WE, WE.' Is she a narcissist?" someone else asked.
A fourth wrote, "A simple *Happy Birthday* with a [balloon emoji] would have been more authentic."
Another user stated, "That’s an awful post from her. Compares it to an assignment..learn to embrace this with a smile. ?? What a horrible cow."
Jada Smith and Tupac Shakur
This comes a week after Jada shared a nostalgic throwback video featuring herself and the late rap icon Tupac Shakur.
The video captured them playfully lip-syncing to Will Smith's iconic track 'Parents Just Don't Understand' from the popular show 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'.
Jada Smith and Tupac Shakur were close friends from their days at the Baltimore School for the Arts. There have been several speculations about their romance, but the two always denied them.
Tupac's tragic death in a 1996 shooting deeply impacted Jada, leaving their close bond a topic of ongoing interest.
However, the actress recently revealed that a chapter in her future book 'Advanced Degree' is about her friendship and memories of the late rapper and will include new details about them.
Jada has talked about Tupac frequently, describing how they served as one another's "anchors" throughout their careers.
When did Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith meet?
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith first met when she auditioned for the role of Will’s girlfriend on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'. At the time, Will was married to Sheree Zampino.
Will and Jada officially started dating in 1995 following his divorce and eventually tied the knot in 1997. The couple welcomed their children, Jaden and Willow, in 1998 and 2000, respectively.
However, their marriage became the subject of persistent rumors regarding separation and infidelity. Despite both of them denying these speculations over the years, the rumors continued to circulate.
Controversies surrounding Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Open marriage speculations
The couple has been at the center of rumors suggesting that they have an open marriage. These rumors gained traction following statements from both Will and Jada that hinted at a non-traditional approach to their relationship.
Will confirmed the rumors in an interview, admitting they were "both miserable and clearly something had to change."
"Jada never believed in conventional marriage. Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up," Will told GQ.
"There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple?" he said. "And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection," he added.
"We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can't be a prison," he added.
Jada Smith's 'entaglement' with August Alsina
In 2020, singer August Alsina claimed that he had been in a relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith while she was still married to Will Smith.
Later, Jada confessed to having an "entanglement" with the singer in an episode of 'Red Table Talk' with Will.
"Four and a half years ago... I started a friendship with August. We actually became really, really good friends," said Jada.
According to multiple reports, Will and Jada’s son Jaden Smith had introduced Alsina to the family when Jada and he apparently got closer.
"It all started with him just needing some help, me wanting to help his health, his mental state," she stated at the time, adding, "From there as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August," later clarifying, "It was a relationship, absolutely."
She added, "I was in a lot of pain, and I was very broken. Now in the process of that relationship, I definitely realized that you can’t find happiness outside of yourself."
Jada Pinkett Smith ‘never’ wanted to marry Will Smith
Jada Pinkett openly admitted that she "really didn’t want to get married" to Will Smith.
"I was under so much pressure, you know, being a young actress, being young, and I was just, like, pregnant and I just didn’t know what to do," said Jada in another episode of her 'Red Table Talk' Facebook series, adding, "I never wanted to be married."
"We only got married because Gammy was crying," she told her daughter Willow, referring to Jada's mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, also known as "Gammy".
"It was almost as if Gammy was like, 'You have to get married, so let’s talk about the wedding,'" she said.
Will Smith 'slapgate' controversy
During the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, Will Smith shocked the audience and viewers when he walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face for making a joke about Jada.
This incident, dubbed "The Slap Heard Around the World" or "slapgate," led to significant consequences, including Smith's resignation and a 10-year ban from the Academy events.
