Jada Pinkett Smith may have inadvertently revealed the possible motivation behind the Will Smith smackdown that was heard around the world.
The globe collectively recoiled in shock and horror when Smith stormed onstage at the 2022 Oscars and lowered a thunderous slap on comedian Chris Rock’s face. Rock, who was hosting the Academy Awards, had uttered a cringe-inducing joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaven head that the Girls Trip star previously said was the result of the auto-immune disease alopecia.
Pinkett Smith told People magazine that, amid her and Will Smith’s much-reported marital strife, Rock called her and asked her out on a date. Pinkett Smith did not provide the date and year this took place, or if Rock made the offer during the infamous “entanglement” period when she and singer August Alsina were romantically involved. Pinkett Smith admitted that she and Will Smith were living separate lives at that point.
“I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce,” Pinkett Smith explained to People. “And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I’d love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that.”
Pinkett Smith did not indicate if she shared with Will Smith that Rock asked her out. If he was made aware, then this could possibly explain part of Will Smith’s mindset at the Oscars, though no one has confirmed this yet.
This revelation comes amid her discussion with the magazine about her family’s fractured relationship with Rock in the aftermath of that infamous Oscars smack. She was asked if she had spoken to the comedian since April 2022.
After she answered in the negative, Pinkett Smith elaborated, saying: “[Do I have] any desire to talk to Chris? Here’s my desire: I just hope that all the misunderstanding around this can be cleared up and that there can be peace,” she adds.
“I talk about this in the book, I think that there might be some misunderstanding between Chris and I as far as the 2016 Oscars. I think that he might’ve taken offense, which I meant no harm in offending. That wasn’t my intention. But I do think that there’s a big misunderstanding there.”
If you recall, Rock also unleashed a merciless joke at Pinkett Smith who had joined the chorus of outrage at the lack of Black nominees in what became the “#OscarSoWhit” hashtag. Mostly, Pinkett Smith thought her husband’s performance in the NFL-based movie Concussion was snubbed for Oscar consideration.
