"Here we go," Jada Pinkett Smith whispers to herself as the L.A. photo studio goes quiet. She knows everyone has been waiting 18 months for her to say something-and now it's time.
The actress says growing up on the rough streets of Baltimore prepared her for Hollywood. But no one could have predicted what unfolded at the 2022 Academy Awards, where she watched her husband of 24 years, Will Smith, slap Chris Rock on the Oscar stage after Rock made a joke about Jada's shaved head (she suffers from alopecia). Like many people watching the incident unfold on live TV, she didn't believe it was real at first. "I thought, "This is a skit.' I was like, 'There's no way that Will hit him,"" Jada, 52, recalls. "It wasn't until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn't a skit."
The first words she uttered to Smith once they were alone after the show were "Are you okay?" The answer is a work in progress, one that Jada has written about-among many other topics, including her difficult childhood and their complicated marriage-in her riveting new book Worthy, out Oct. 17 (see excerpt). "I'm going to be by his side," she says of her 55-year-old husband, "but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself."
As for Rock, who also made a joke at Jada's expense while hosting the 2016 Oscars and whom she hasn't spoken to since the 2022 ceremony, she says, "That's what comedians do. I am not here to make any judgment on how people decide to express themselves. I've had my feelings hurt a lot by Chris, but at the end of the day, being in the spotlight, it comes with the territory."
Denne historien er fra October 23, 2023-utgaven av People US.
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Denne historien er fra October 23, 2023-utgaven av People US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Joe Manganiello
THE ACTOR, 48, HOSTS THE NBC REALITY SERIES DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND
COUNTRY DUO THE WAR AND TREATY HOW LOVE MADE OUR DREAMS COME TRUE
THE ACCLAIMED HUSBAND-AND-WIFE COUNTRY DUO FOUND FAME AND SWEET HARMONY AFTER A DIFFICULT JOURNEY
Inside Renée Zellweger's Return as Bridget Jones
When the first Bridget Jones film came out in 2001, Renée Zellweger charmed as the not-quite-together singleton. Now, nearly 25 years later, she's a mom of two in mourning in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (streaming on Peacock).
A FAMILY'S LIFE AFTER DISASTER From the Ashes
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DISGRACED TECH EXEC ELIZABETH HOLMES 'It's Been Pure Pain'
IN HER FIRST PRISON INTERVIEW, THE FORMER THERANOS CEO SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HER LIFE TODAY
What's Next for Taylor & Travis After Super Bowl Loss
For the second year in a row, Taylor Swift made a big show of support for her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, at the Super Bowl.
NEARLY FIVE YEARS AFTER GLEE STAR NAYA RIVERA'S DEATH, HER EX SPEAKS OUT Our Son Gives Me Reason to Live
ACTOR RYAN DORSEY LIFTS THE CURTAIN ON HIS LIFE WITH JOSEY AFTER THEIR DEVASTATING LOSS
It's a Boy! Gisele Welcomes Baby No. 3
Gisele Bündchen is celebrating a new addition to the family! The Brazilian supermodel, 44, has welcomed a baby boy, her third child and first with boyfriend Joaquim Valente.
Prince Harry FAMILY, LOVE & HIS INVICTUS TRIUMPH
THE DUKE OF SUSSEX REFLECTS ON A DECADE OF THE INVICTUS GAMES AND CELEBRATING THE LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF SPORT WITH MEGHAN BY HIS SIDE
Liam Payne's Girlfriend Discusses the Days Before His 'Tragic' Death
Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy has spoken out in her first interview since the One Direction singer's death.
