Jada Pinkett Smith said Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap saved their marriage.
“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,” she told the Daily Mail in an interview published Saturday.
“Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?”
The “Red Table Talk Show” host has been married to the “I Am Legend” star since 1997, but shockingly revealed in October that the two had been quietly separated for seven years.
However, Pinkett Smith recalled how everything changed that night in Los Angeles after her husband charged onstage to slap Chris Rock for the crack the comedian made about his wife’s alopecia.
“I call it the ‘holy slap’ now because so many positive things came after it,” the mom of two told the outlet, adding that she was “glad” she was at the event despite “nearly” missing it.
“That moment of the s–t hitting the fan is when you see where you really are.”
Jada Pinkett Smith said that infamous 2022 Oscars slap made her realize she would “never” leave Will Smith. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
“Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?” she told the Daily Mail. MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images
Of course, a slew of revelations about Pinkett Smith, 52, and her “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum husband, 55, took the internet by storm nearly two months ago when the “Nutty Professor” star published her tell-all memoir, “Worthy.”
Despite Pinkett-Smith detailing the struggles within their marriage — and hitting on her affair with singer August Alsina — Smith stood by her side following the release of the book.
“We have had a very, very long and tumultuous [relationship]. We call it ‘brutiful.’ It was brutal and beautiful at the same time,” the “Aladdin” actor said in October as he appeared onstage alongside his wife.
It was revealed in October that the couple had been quietly separated for seven years. Patricia Schlein/Star Max/GC Images
He also thanked Pinkett Smith for her support, adding that his dreams were “largely built on the foundation of Jada’s sacrifices.”
Additionally, Smith told the New York Times in an email that her memoir “woke [him] up.”
“When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life, a sort of emotional blindness sets in,” he wrote in October.
However, both the “I Am Legend” star and the “Red Table Talk” host have shared that their bond has grown since the Oscars incident and since Pinkett Smith’s memoir, “Worthy,” was released. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
“And you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties.”
Pinkett Smith — who shares kids Jaden, 25, and Willow, 23, with her husband — echoed a similar sentiment.
“You never stop learning about your partner,” she told InStyle on Oct. 17. “It gave [Will] such intimate insight into everything in a way that I don’t know if he would’ve had without a book.
“I think that’s been a huge benefit. It’s really beautiful.”
