Jada Pinkett Smith has quelled the speculation around the nature of her friendship with R&B singer August Alsina after admitting Friday that she was in a relationship with the singer.
Pinkett Smith explained in an interview with her husband, Will Smith, on her Facebook Watch show “Red Table Talk” that she and Alsina were involved in an “entanglement” when she and Smith were separated several years ago.
“It’s a situation that I consider private. This is a very personal journey that became very public,” the 48-year-old actress said during the interview.
“Four and a half years ago ... I started a friendship with August and we actually became really, really good friends,” she continued. “And it all started with him just needing some help, me wanting to help his health, his mental state.”
Smith also shared his thoughts on the relationship, adding that he and Pinkett Smith “purposely” did not speak about what she called the “entanglement” with the 27-year-old.
“One of the reasons I wanted to come to the table, the media, the headlines, we specifically never said anything,” Smith, 51, said during the “Red Table Talk” interview. “We were purposely never saying anything. We specifically never said anything. Coming to the table, we just felt like it got to the point where you gotta say something.”
The “No Love” singer revealed the affair with the actress and producer during an interview with Angela Yee of “The Breakfast Club” last week. Alsina conducted the interview as a part of his promotional junket for his new album “The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy” and his five-part docuseries on his life.
“Contrary to what some people may believe, I’m not a troublemaker ... I also don’t think that it’s ever important for people to know what I do, who I sleep with, who I date, right? But in this instance, there are so many people who are side-eyeing me ... I’ve lost money, friendships, relationships behind it. And I think it’s because people don’t necessarily know the truth. But I’ve never done anything wrong. I love those people (the Smiths) ... They are beautiful people.”
The singer, who has battled an autoimmune disease since 2017, had been photographed with Pinkett Smith and seen in photos on family trips with the Smiths.
Pinkett Smith said the initial connection with Alsina was only to support him through his medical problems. Their friendship blossomed when she and Smith were separated.
“We broke up,” Pinkett Smith shared. “We decided that we were going to separate for a period of time.”
Smith pressed her to go deeper on what transpired between her and Alsina.
“From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August,” further explaining that it “was a relationship.”
In the interview with Yee, Alsina said Smith gave “his blessing” for the two of them to explore their sexual connection.
Pinkett Smith said that is one aspect of the interview she wanted to clarify.
“One thing I want to clean up ... about you giving ‘permission’ which is ... the only person that can give permission in that circumstance is myself,” she said to Smith during the interview. “... I could see how he could see it as permission because we were separated amicably, and I think he wanted to make it clear he’s not a homewrecker because he’s not.”
In 2018, Smith spoke about him and his wife considering each other “life partners” and that there are no “deal-breakers” in their relationship when he was interviewed by tidal’s Rap Radar podcast. He added that the couple, who married in 1997, do not consider themselves married anymore.
“We don’t even say we’re married anymore. We refer to ourselves as ‘life partners,’ where you get into that space where you realize you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life,” Smith said. “There’s no deal-breakers. There’s nothing she could do − ever − nothing that would break our relationship.”
Pinkett Smith said the relationship with Alsina is now over, but she said the time with the singer was a learning experience she values.
“Through that particular journey, I learned so much about myself and was able to really confront a lot of emotional immaturity, emotional insecurity, and I was really able to do some really deep healing,” Pinkett Smith said.
Take a look at the full “Red Table Talk” below:
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