The relationship between Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith has always generated a lot of interest and attention. Since the celebrity power tied the knot in 1997, there have been reports of marital difficulties, and they’ve been said to have an open marriage.

Now, Jada Pinkett Smith has made the bombshell revelation that she and Will have been actually been separated since 2016. Read more to learn about her revelations about their marriage.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: (L-R) Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

In an upcoming NBC News interview with Hoda Kotb, Jada revealed that she and will have been living “completely separate lives” since 2016.

Jada described it as a “divorce,” although it wasn’t an official one on paper. She explained that they didn’t feel ready to go public with the split until now.

“By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying,” Jada said. “I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”

“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through … whatever,” she added. “I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”

DFree / Shutterstock.com

The nature of Will and Jada’s relationship has long been a subject of speculation. In 2013, Jada made a statement that led people to believe they were having an open marriage: “I’ve always told Will, ‘You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay’. Because at the end of the day, Will is his own man. I’m here as his partner, but he is his own man,” Jada said in an interview.

Jada later denied that they had an open marriage. But in 2020, singer and rapper August Alsina said he was having an affair with Jada, with Will’s permission. Alsina is 20 years younger than Pinkett Smith.

The couple later confirmed that Pinkett Smith and Alsina had an “entanglement,” but it occurred during a separation in their marriage, and they broke it off when she got back together with Will. However, it is now clear that they never got back together.

Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Jada Pinkett Smith also opened up to People Magazine recently, saying that her relationship with Will was a work in progress.

“We’re still figuring it out,” Jada said. “A lot has happened. The thing about relationships is that it’s constantly moving. Relationships are, it’s an organism. It’s its own thing. It’s constantly shifting and constantly moving. There’s a lot that’s transpired in the last two years, and so we’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together.”

Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

She also said that despite press reports, they never had an “open marriage,” but were actually taking breaks in their marriage that were not known to the public.

“I think where that got confusing is that as time went on, there were different stages in my marriage where Will and I decided we were not together,” Jada told People. “We didn’t tell the public, where I was actually thinking about divorcing, separating. There’ve been several of those where we’ve gone and lived our separate lives. So I think within that is where people might’ve thought that, ‘Oh, they must be having an open relationship.’”

Will and Jada have two children together: Jaden, 25, and Willow, 22. Like their parents, both kids are singers and actors.

DFree / Shutterstock.com

The Smiths’ complicated relationship came into the worldwide spotlight last year at the Academy Awards. Will Smith, who would win the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in King Richard, slapped host Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada’s shaved head (which was due to her alopecia).

The incident went viral worldwide and Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

It’s never easy to split up after nearly 20 years of marriage, and it’s clear Will and Jada have a complicated relationship. We hope they can work things out for the best.