Jada Pinkett Smith was ‘exhausted with trying’ to save Will Smith marriage

Jada Pinkett Smith is getting honest. The actress — who revealed that she’s been separated from husband Will Smith for seven years — admitted what ultimately “fractured” their relationship.

“Why it fractured, that’s a lot of things,” she said in a clip from an upcoming NBC interview with Hoda Kotb that will air on Oct. 13.

“And 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 explained.

“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through whatever,” she continued. “And I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”

Pinkett Smith and the Oscar winner decided to ultimately separate in 2016. They weren’t romantically involved, following their decision, during shared red carpet outings, their 2022 Oscars appearance together when Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage — and subsequently was banned from the show for 10 years — or her famous “entanglement” with singer August Alsina.

In 2020, the couple addressed the “entanglement” during an episode of her talk show “Red Table Talk,” noting they had been “going through a very difficult time.”

“I was done with your ass,” joked Smith.

“Yeah, you kicked me to the curb,” Pinkett Smith responded. “We broke up.”

At the time, it was not publicly known that the couple were no longer living together. Pinkett Smith revealed to Kotb they still live separately and that she has considered legally divorcing the actor over the years.

Will and Jada have been married since 1997 and have two kids, Jaden, 25, and Willow, 22. (Will welcomed son Trey, 30, with ex wife Sheree Zampino.)

Pinkett Smith will open up more about their marriage in her upcoming book, “Worthy,” which drops on Oct. 17.