One of the certainties in life is that it’s next to impossible to fully comprehend the intricacies involved in a relationship between a man and a woman that dictates how one or the other — or both — may act in a given situation.
Daring to venture where angels fear to tread, the relationship between actor Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith seemed to shed some light on the A-list actor’s apparent anger issues. While it’s impossible to assess the state of their marriage based on a short clip, the footage certainly supports the notion that Pinkett Smith may very well be the catalyst behind last week’s Oscars slap heard ’round the world.
What we know is that when Chris Rock first joked about Pinkett Smith — who suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss — starring in GI Jane 2 because of her shaved head, Smith appeared to initially laugh at the joke. But when his wife expressed her clear disapproval by rolling her eyes and throwing her head back, he would then storm the stage and slap the comedian. Other footage seemed to suggest that Pinkett Smith laughed as her husband returned to his seat.
Resurfaced footage of an exchange between the couple captured Smith’s frustration with his wife, calling to mind a Seinfeld episode about one partner in a relationship having all the power. On that note, it certainly appears that Will Smith is cast as George Constanza, having “no hand” in the relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith, who appears to hold the real power here.
“You know, Esther Perel is coming to the table. Would you say she has been instrumental in you and I redefining our relationship?” Pinkett Smith asked her husband in the footage.
“I would say don’t just start filming me without asking me if you could film me,” Smith replied.
“Oh my goodness,” Pinkett Smith responded, saying, “Esther, come help us again please. I’m still dealing with foolishness.”
“Don’t just-” a clearly agitated Smith begins to say, before being cut off by his wife prodding him further, “Would you say that she helped us heal the hurts that we caused between one another?”
“My social media is my bread and butter, OK? So you can’t just use me for social media and not, you know. I’m standing in my house. Don’t just start rolling,” an uncomfortable Smith answered.
“His facial expressions say it all,” one Reddit user said of the video.
Another stated, “He looks tormented. I’ve gone from liking him, to disliking him to feeling sorry for him in the space of a week.”
It appears that Pinkett-Smith is the manipulator in the relationship according to footage, as she asked her husband about their relationship.
There has been plenty of scrutiny of the Smiths’ marriage since the slap heard ’round the world, including publicly admitted infidelity by Pinkett-Smith. There have also been reports about them being in an open marriage. Some say Smith has admitted to as much, but there are other claims that the Smiths have denied such allegations. Pinkett-Smith did publicly acknowledge a fling with R&B singer August Alsina, who is more than 20 years younger than her, during an episode of her podcast that also featured her husband, calling the sexual romp an “entanglement.”
A YouTube video, titled Jada Pinkett Smith breaking Will Smith’s heart for 4 minutes straight, captures a discussion the Smiths had on camera about the extramarital dalliance.
Many believe the Academy Awards debacle was a desperate attempt by Will Smith to reclaim his masculinity, having been so publicly emasculated by his wife.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board is reportedly meeting Friday to decide Smith’s fate, having moved the meeting up from April 18 after the actor resigned from the body.
The Sun cited an LA source to report: “The members — of which there are over 9,000, with hundreds of WhatsApp groups flying about — are completely split.”
Minutes after slapping Chris Rock, Smith received a standing ovation from the room after winning an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, in which he portrayed Venus and Serena Williams’ father. There is an outside chance he could be stripped of the honor, though no actor has ever had an Oscar taken away.
“I have directly responded to the Academy’s disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct,” Smith said in a statement announcing his resignation. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy.”
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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