In a new interview, the hip-hop mogul's former bodyguard recalls the time his boss got upset at the 'Wild Wild West' star and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith for allegedly flirting with his then-girlfriend J.Lo.
- Oct 19, 2023
AceShowbiz - Sean "P. Diddy" Combs allegedly once almost fought Will Smith over Jennifer Lopez. If his bodyguard is to be trusted, the hip-hop mogul was upset at the "Men in Black" star and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith for making "advances" with his then-girlfriend at a party thrown by Matt Damon years ago.
When sitting down for an interview with "The Art of Dialogue", Diddy's former bodyguard Gene Deal recalled the incident which he finds "funny." He shared, "We were at a birthday party that I think Matt Damon was giving for Ben Affleck. It was just a little gathering at the Four Seasons. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Puff, Will Smith and Jada were sitting on [one] side of the room."
Gene then noticed "[Diddy] stood up. And when he stood up, he walked and did his arms a certain kind of way like [crossing them]." He continued, "I go over towards him and he said to me, 'Yo, I think Will and Jada are trying to scoop up Jennifer. I want you to stay close 'cause I'm a snuff him.' "
Gene claimed that Will would mostly likely "beat the s**t" out of Diddy due to their size difference, although he did admit the "I Need a Girl" hitmaker can "scrap." Gene said he intentionally stood far enough that if his boss did make a move, Will could get "two or three punches back in" once he intervened.
"That s**t was funny," he concluded. "He thought that Jada and Will were coming on too strong to Jennifer, making advances."
Diddy and J.Lo were dating on-and-off from 1999 until 2001. Meanwhile, Will has been married to Jada since 1997 and shares two children together, 25-year-old son Jaden Smith and 22-year-old daughter Willow Smith, with the actress.
The revelation comes after Jada confirmed that she has been separated from Will since 2016. In a sit-down with "Today" host Hoda Kotb, she confirmed that she and the "King Richard" actor "live separately," though they have no intention to divorce.
However, in another part of the interview, the 52-year-old actress stated that they are committed to restoring their "life partnership" and are "concentrating on healing." She shared, "We are working very hard at bringing our relationship, yes, bringing our relationship back together... back to a marriage again. Husband-wife marriage for me, for my healing process."
Meanwhile, Will appeared to make light of the drama surrounding his relationship with Jada by posting a hilarious "official statement" video on Instagram. In the clip, he said, "I've got something for you. Here's the thing. So, my opinion on the...."
But before the 55-year-old finished his sentence, he got interrupted by his itchy nose. As he sneezed into his sleeve, the camera zoomed out to show various beautiful landscapes around the world and never returned to Will.
In a more serious note, Will said in an email to the New York Times newspaper, "When you've been with someone for more than half of your life a sort of emotional blindness sets in, and you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties." He added that he has only now realized that Jada is "more resilient, clever and compassionate than he'd understood."
