The marriage of Hollywood stars Will Smith and Jada Pinkett has been thrown back into the spotlight after the actor stood up in defence of his wife in sensational form at this year's Oscars.
Incensed by Chris Rock mocking his wife's hair, Will approached the comic on stage and struck him across the face before yelling at him not to speak about Jada ever again.
The duo have been together for almost three decades and have three children between them – but their marriage has faced some high profile challenges over the years.
However, the union of 53-year-old Will and 50-year-old Jada has been regarded as one of the strongest in Hollywood.
Here is how Will and Jada first met, how his first marriage was rocked by their meeting, affair shockers and the reason both have found themselves back in the glaring celebrity spotlight.
The original meeting
Will Smith has his The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to thank for his entire marriage to Jada Pinkett – who auditioned to be on the show.
She would have starred as a character named Beullah ‘Lisa’ Wilkes who featured in season five of the show which aired in 1994 – but Jada was looked over by the casting agents and the role ultimately went to Gia Long.
Writing about Jada’s failed audition in his autobiography, Will wrote: “Apparently, the casting agent had just told her she wasn’t tall enough to play my girlfriend on the show.
"She hated that about Hollywood — that somehow her height (or lack thereof) was of more vital importance to the art than her abundant talents. Oblivious to all of this, I stepped into the river.
“I was sitting in a [bathroom] stall and I was crying and laughing uncontrollably, and I knew [Jada] was the woman I was supposed to be with.”
Will’s divorce
Although Will knew Jada was the woman he ‘had to be with’ there was the small issue that he was already married to a woman named Sheree Zampino.
Tying-the-knot in 1992, Will and Sheree stayed married until 1995 which is when they filed for divorce – with Sheree being the one to see that the romance was over.
The pair have remained close, however, with Will wishing his ex a very public happy birthday in 2018, tweeting: “Happy Bday, @shereezampino. #BestBabyMamaEver! :-) I Love You, Ree-Ree.”
Dating begins
After Sheree asked to end her marriage to Will, the Gettin' Jiggy wit It singer felt free to approach Jada for a date.
According to Oprah Daily, the star asked Jada if she was “seeing anyone” and when she replied “no”, he declared: “Cool, you’re seeing me now.”
Jada then moved from her native Baltimore to live in California and be close to Will.
The Fresh prince star’s divorce was finalised in late 1995 and he was then free to propose to Jada in November 1997.
Marriage
Will and Jada tied-the-knot in a private ceremony in Baltimore back in 1997 – but it sounds like it was far from a happy day.
During one of her Red Table Talk discussions, Jada opened up about their big day – which had been kept so secret to the extent that no invitations were ever given out.
By all accounts, it sounds like Jada had her arm twisted into swapping vows with her now-husband.
She said in her talk: “I was so upset that I had to have a wedding.
“I was so pissed. I went crying down the freakin’ aisle getting married.”
Family
Jada and Will share two children together – with their son, Jaden, the oldest having been born in July 1998 and their daughter, Willow, born in October 2000.
Both Jaden and Willow are in the entertainment business – both dabbling in music and acting.
Will previously told People magazine of his and Jada’s approach to parenting: "We're not strict but we definitely believe it's a very important component for rearing children. It creates safety for them. They understand that they need guidance.”
Will also has a 29-year-old son named Trey, who is an actor and musician himself, from his first marriage to Sheree.
Affair
Hollywood was rocked in when rumours emerged in 2020 that Jada had enjoyed an affair with 29-year-old August Alsina.
Jada’s publicist point blank denied that an affair had ever taken place, slamming reports and declaring they were: “absolutely not true."
But just 24 hours later, Jada sheepishly confirmed that the affair had indeed happened, and she hosted a Red Table Talk special with Will where she discussed her infidelity.
She described her fling with August as an “entanglement” and claimed she and Will were secretly on a break and that she had not been in contact with August after she and Will reconciled.
The slap
Hollywood was rocked once again on Sunday 27 March 2022 at the 94th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles where the A List had a front row seat to a smackdown between Will and comedian Chris Rock.
The vicious incident took place after Chris made an ill-judges joke about Jada’s appearance – saying her couldn’t wait to see her in “G.I Jane 2” due to her bald appearance.
Chris claimed he was unaware that Jada had shaved her head due to the fact she suffers from alopecia.
Will shocked the live audience, and viewing public, when he leapt from his chair, waltzed up to Chris, slapped him in the face and then returned to his seat where he repeatedly screamed: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”
The incident sparked widespread debate with some suggesting Willy did it in order to defend his wife – but many critics have argued that it doesn’t excuse his violent actions, and that Jada has always been confident and outspoken enough to defend herself from any abuse.
