The former 'Red Table Talk' host divides social media users with her comments on her friendship with the late rapper as some accuse her of embarrassing her estranged husband.
- Oct 13, 2023
AceShowbiz - Jada Pinkett Smith has once again gushed over her friendship with Tupac Shakur. After revealing that she and her husband Will Smith have been quietly separated since 2016, the actress has now called her late friend Tupac her true "soulmate."
In a new interview with RollingOut ahead of the release of her new memoir "Worthy", the 52-year-old was asked by editor Christal Jordan if she believes there could be a "soulmate friendship" that does not include the romantic. "Absolutely! We have soulmates. Our children can be our soulmates. I think this kind of romanticized idea is like a 'soulmate.' There's all kinds of definitions of a soulmate," Jada said, agreeing that her and Tupac's relationship was one of them.
She went on adding, "If there is such a thing as past lives, I definitely think that Pac and I have traveled a few together. You know, in various forms." When asked if she regretted the decision not to take their friendship in a romantic direction, the mother of two responded, "It just wasn't possible. There was no chemistry between us"
When Christal pointed out what many fans believed to be chemistry between her and the late rapper, the "Gotham" alum insisted that it was "friendship chemistry, love chemistry," but not romantic chemistry. She stressed that having a future together "wasn't the purpose."
"It was like God made us that way," the 52-year-old continued. "It was like, look, I'm going to put y'all together, right? Y'all are going to be a dynamic duo. But I'm going to tell you right now, I'm going to make it so y'all are not going to be able to get together 'cause that just wasn't the purpose."
Following the interview, people took to social media to give their two cents. "I'm convinced she wakes up and immediately says 'How can I embarrass Will today?' No prayer or nothing," one person accused Jada. Another baffled user wondered, "What did WILL do to deserve this? This who he slapped someone for??"
However, there were others who defended Jada, with one claiming, "They were best friends and he died when they weren't on good terms. Like any normal person, I'll be missing my friend like her too." Another agreed, arguing, "Tupac was her REAL FRIEND. She knew the real him. I feel the same way about my bestfriend, that she's my soul mate. I don't think soul mates have to be romantically involved , just someone who knows & understands your soul, they complete you!"
Jada previously shocked everyone as she admitted in a preview of an NBC News and "Today" show special that she and Will have been separated since 2016. When host Hoda Kotb said, "It was not a divorce on paper, but it was a divorce," the former "Red Table Talk" host agreed, adding that she and the Oscar winner "live separately."
Of why she and Will have never formally announced their split, Jada explained, "I think just not being ready yet." She then noted, "Still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership, right, and in regards to how do we present that to people, you know? And we hadn't figured that out."
According to Jada, there were "a lot of things" that caused a fracture in her relationship with Will. "I think by the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be," she shared.
Despite this, Jada stressed that she has no plans to make their separation legal. "I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through whatever. And I just haven't been able to break that promise," she said.
