Will Smith was 'tortured and jealous' over Jada's romance with Tupac Shakur

11 October 2023 , 13:19

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Will Smith was 'tortured and jealous' over Jada's romance with Tupac Shakur

Jada Pinkett Smith has confirmed that her marriage to Will Smith is over, and baffled fans by explaining they actually separated secretly seven years ago. Jada said they are still trying to "figure out" what the future of their marriage looks like. She admitted that they have been separated since 2016.

Jada explained that they had even been living separately when Will famously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars last year. Will, now 54, confronted comedian Chris, now 58, during the live broadcast of the awards ceremony over a joke that had been made about his wife's alopecia.

Speaking to People magazine Jada said: "We're still figuring it out." She added: "We've been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other, and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us."

Will Smith has opened up about his feelings for Jada Pinkett Smith (Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock)

Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith in 1996 (Getty Images)

In the past, Will admitted he struggled with Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship with Tupac Shakur and that he was "tortured by their connection." The 55-year-old actor has opened up about his feelings about Jada and Tupac and that he had "raging jealousy" over them.

The Hollywood star has shared details in his new memoir, titled Will, and said that the friendship between his wife and the late rapper made him feel insecure. Jada, 52, was high school friends with Tupac and after a tough start to life, they managed to fight "their way from under the weight of abuse and neglect" to reach the heights of success they achieved.

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Will revealed that he was wary of the friendship when he started dating Jada. Writing in his memoir, Will shared: "Though they were never intimate, their love for each other is legendary -- they defined 'ride or die.’

"In the beginning of our relationship, my mind was tortured by their connection. He was 'PAC! and I was me." Speaking about Tupac, Will said that the rapper had "a fearless passion that was intoxicating, a militant morality, and a willingness to fight and die for what he believed was right."

Jada Pinkett Smith with rapper Tupac Shakur, 1996 (WireImage)

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith are in a good place at the moment (Getty Images)

Will said that he felt inadequate in Tupac's presence and that this was the feeling he had when his younger brother Harry would stand up to their abusive father. The Fresh Prince star said: "Pac was like Harry -- he triggered the perception of myself as a coward. I hated that I wasn't what he was in the world, and I suffered a raging jealousy: I wanted Jada to look at me like that."

As Will and Jada's relationship grew, Will said that he felt a "twisted kind of victory" when Jada was "less available" to be with Tupac. Will wrote: "If she chose me over Tupac, there was no way I could be a coward. I have rarely felt more validated.”

Will continued: “I was in a room with Tupac on multiple occasions, but I never spoke to him. The way Jada loved 'Pac rendered me incapable of being friends with him. I was too immature." Tupac tragically died in 1996 at the age of 25 and Will married Jada the following year, with the couple sharing son Jaden and daughter Willow.

Frances Kindon