Will Smith breaks silence on Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir: ‘Emotional blindness sets in’
Will Smith is breaking his silence on his wife’s bombshell tell-all "Worthy," which reveals the couple has been separated for seven years.
In an email sent to The New York Times, the actor admitted that the book woke him up, noting the actress had "lived a life more on the edge than he’d realized, and she is more resilient, clever and compassionate than he’d understood."
"When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life, a sort of emotional blindness sets in, and you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties," the Oscar winner wrote.
During Pinkett Smith’s appearance on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast, the host also read a letter to her written by Smith.
"I applaud and honor you," Shetty read the letter in a clip shared by The Associated Press on TikTok and YouTube. "If I had read this book 30 years ago, I definitely would’ve hugged you more."
"I’ll start now – Welcome to the Authors Club," the letter continued. "I love you endlessly. Now go get some Merlot and take a rest."
Pinkett Smith laughed.
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"He knows I can’t have no Merlot," she replied before getting emotional. "That’s beautiful."
"That’s why I can’t divorce that joker," she beamed.
Smith has chosen to make light of the frenzy around Pinkett Smith’s memoir, which hits bookshelves on Oct. 17.
On Sunday, the "Fresh Prince" turned to Instagram and shared a clip of himself on a ship. He was seen lying down below deck, bundled up and seemingly at ease with his arms crossed and eyes shut.
"Fun fact about me," a voice is heard saying over the video. "I can take a nap almost anywhere."
The caption for the post also read, "Notifications off" with a smiling face. Pinkett Smith responded to the video with laughing emojis.
Ahead of the book’s release, Pinkett Smith sat down with "Today" host Hoda Kotb and explained why she and Smith have not officially called it quits. Pinkett Smith clarified that their separation was not "a divorce on paper," but "by the time we got to 2016 we were just exhausted with trying."
"I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce," she told Kotb, 59. "We will work through whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise."
Pinkett Smith also told People magazine that "we’re still figuring it out."
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The couple said "I do" in 1997 while the star was pregnant with their son Jaden, 25. They also share a daughter named Willow, 22. Smith is also a father to son Trey, 30, from his previous marriage to actress/producer Sheree Zampino. That union lasted from 1992 to 1995.