Will Smith’s wife revealed that Chris Rock once asked her out when he heard rumors of divorce

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith confirmed that comedian Chris Rock once called her to invite her out when she heard rumors of her divorcing Will Smith, before the incident of Will slapping Chris at the 2022 Oscars.

While promoting her memoir Worthy , Jada Pinkett Smith opened up to PEOPLE about her complicated relationship with co-star Chris Rock. The 52-year-old actress said: “Every summer, the information that Will and I were about to divorce flooded in. And that summer, Chris thought we were about to divorce. So he called me and said : ‘I really want to take you out'”.

Recalling the call that day, Jada said she explained to Chris Rock that everything was just a rumor and that she was not divorced. “He was very shocked and apologized to me,” Jada said.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Chris Rock.

Jada said she hasn’t talked to Chris Rock since the scandal at the 2022 Oscars when Chris was assaulted by Will Smith for joking about her baldness. The actress said she wanted to talk to Chris and clear up any misunderstandings.

“I talked about this in my memoir. I think maybe some misunderstanding between Chris and I happened since the 2016 Oscars. I think he might have felt offended and I didn’t mean anything.” , Jada shared with People .

During the 2016 Oscar season, Jada and a number of artists called for a boycott of the awards ceremony because no black actors were nominated in the acting categories. Will Smith also missed an Oscar nomination for his role in the film Concussion . Jada not only protested, she also called on Chris Rock to quit his role as host of the show. However, Chris did not retreat. Instead, the comedian joked about Jada in his monologue at the Oscars: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s underwear because I wasn’t invited.”

Thinking back on that incident, Jada believes that she was not aware of the level of pressure that Chris Rock was under. She felt she should have called Chris to share and they would have understood each other better. The actress felt very tormented, but luckily, Chris then proactively contacted her and they apologized to each other.

At the 2022 Oscars, after making fun of Jada’s bald head and being slapped by Will Smith , Chris Rock also walked up to Jada’s seat to apologize to her. “He said, ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you’. I said, ‘I can’t talk about this right now, Chris,'” Jada said.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Photo: Invision.

The actress herself saw Chris Rock’s sarcasm as just a joke comedians often make and didn’t think her husband, actor Will Smith, found it so serious. Jada Pinkett Smith said that she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016. They came to the Oscars as a family, not as husband and wife.

In a conversation with Today on October 11, Jada also admitted that she and Will Smith have lived separately for the past 7 years. However, the two still have no intention of divorcing. When asked why they chose to hide the breakup for so long, Jada said they “just weren’t ready” and were trying to find a way to resolve all marital issues.