Jada Pinkett Smith says husband Will hadn't called her his 'wife' for a 'long time' until the Oscars slap

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By stefan armitage

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Jada Pinkett Smith has continued her recent run of relationship bombshells.

In an upcoming interview with Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb, Pinkett Smith revealed that husband Will's outburst at last year's Academy Awards was the first time he's referred to her as his "wife" for a "long time". Watch the infamous moment unfold below:

Earlier this week, the 52-year-old Nutty Professor star raised eyebrows after announcing that she and the 55-year-old Men In Black star had been secretly separated for seven years.

This led to many fans' confusion over why - if this was the case - Will Smith took it upon himself to slap comedian Chris Rock around the face at the 2022 Oscars, after the latter made a joke about Pinkett Smith. "All that drama at the Oscars when they weren’t even together anymore," one X user tweeted.

But despite the shock and confusion many people still feel over Smith telling Rock, "Keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth" - it turns out Pinkett Smith was also left just as baffled.

During her interview with Kotb, Pinkett Smith shared that it was the term "my wife" that left her stunned.

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Credit: Variety / Getty

"First of all, I’m really shocked, because mind you, I’m not there. We haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time," Pinkett Smith revealed. "I’m really worried for Will because I don’t know what’s going on."

More of the actor's interview with Kotb is set to be released soon, following the huge revelation that one of Hollywood's favorite couples have been separated for the better part of a decade.

READ MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith reveals the first thing she said to Will after Oscars slap

"We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together," Pinkett Smith confided in a recent interview with PEOPLE. "We just got deep love for each other, and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us."

Back in 2020, the world was abuzz with news of Jada's "entanglement" with singer August Alsina. It was during this storm that she publicly admitted to her separation from Will Smith, spurred by this extramarital episode. While many believed that the duo had reconciled, considering their discussions around "open marriage" and their public appearances together, Wednesday's revelation of their continued separate living arrangements indicates otherwise.

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Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards in 2022. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

After being asked why she was only just sharing this information now, Pinkett Smith said: "Still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership… In regards to, how do we present that to people? We hadn’t figured that out."

However, it seems like The View's Ana Navarro other suspicious.

With Jada making headlines in the build-up to the release of her upcoming memoir, Worthy, Navarro believes she's only sharing this information to make money from the sales of her book.

"Listen, I think she's having a relationship with her bank account," Ana said. "Because every time she needs to increase the ratings of the Red Table, every time she needs to sell books, she drops these bombshells. I find it unseemly. Be careful of anybody who pretends to have a perfect marriage."

Featured image credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty