A united front. Will SmithAnd Jada Pinkett Smith Despite controversy surrounding the Academy Awards, they have become closer.
“Will and Jada are still this unbreakable couple,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Going through the Oscars incident as a team has only made their relationship stronger.”
The March issue of the King RichardStar, 53, marched onto the stage and was slapped Chris Rock after he made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (The Red Table TalkThe host, 50, was open about her struggles with hair loss and alopecia. Smith returned to his seat and yelled for Rock, 57, to “keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth.” The Everyone Hates ChrisAfter presenting, the alum won the Academy Award as Best Actor.
Smith later apologized via Instagram to Rock the next day. Smith resigned later from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was barred from any Oscars-related events in the following decade.
The couple, who got married in 1997 have largely avoided the spotlight ever since, but the AliActor has been leaning heavily on Wicked Wisdom frontwoman, while keeping a low profile. “She’s his biggest rock and he wouldn’t be where he is now without her,” the insider explains.
The couple was on a long-planned vacation in India and were first seen in public the next month. GothamStar later addressed the controversy Red Table Talk.
“Now about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” Pinkett Smith shared on a June episode of the Facebook Watch series, adding, “The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever.”
The Maryland native noted that she’ll continue to support her husband. “Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together,” the Matrix ReloadedActress added at the same time.
The duo was spotted at Nobu in Malibu, California, on Saturday, August 13, their first time hitting a celeb hot spot since Smith’s slap. “They aren’t necessarily ‘hiding’ from the public as a couple, Will is just laying low,” the source adds.
Smith had previously apologized via Instagram on July 29. “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he assured viewers. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith pointed out that Rock had declined Smith’s request to have a chat. The Oscar winner also stated that his wife was not involved in his decision to slap the comedian. “I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it,” he continued.
His latest regrettable message helped the Men in BlackStar move forward and feel confident returning to the spotlight. “Ever since sharing his apology with the world, a huge weight has definitely lifted off of his shoulders,” the insider tells Use.
Diana Cooper reports
