How Will Smith’s Oscar slapgate with comedian Chris Rock cost the once-Hollywood A-lister a billion-dollar deal as well as a forced marriage arrangement with wife Jada Pinkett? An insider has made some shocking claims.
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For the unversed, months after the unpleasant incident occurred at the Oscars stage in 2022, where actor Will Smith smacked Chris Rock on his face when the comedian made an unconscious (and distasteful) joke about the former’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, referring to her shaved head, the ‘Bad Moms’ actor disclosed that she and the ‘Bad Boys’ star have been living separately since 2016, long before the slap gate.
She also clarified in a 2023 interview that the couple, who have been married since 1997 and share two children, Willow and Jaden, is not formally divorced, however, they are not romantically involved anymore.
Months later, an insider has now confirmed that although Smith and Pinkett appear to be still together, they have split up for real. The person claimed that the spouses continue to remain married only on paper, for financial reasons – as a divorce from each other will cost the actors to lose $400 million.
“They’re still together on paper, but at this point, the talk is that it’s more of a business arrangement than an emotional connection,” the insider told a foreign publication and explained, “The two companies they’re attached to (Overbrook Entertainment and Westbrook Inc.) serve as a vehicle for most of their money-making endeavours and it would most likely need to be split up or totally revamped if they were to put a formal end to the marriage.”
“That is just not something that they have wanted to do,” the person maintained. “For logistical purposes, it’s been more convenient for them to keep the status quo and do their own things in different places for the better part of five years.”
The insider also revealed Smith’s reaction to Pinkett’s blunt announcement of their split, adding, “He knows he needs to be strategic as there’s $400million on the line. But he’s hurt and angry. He wants to divorce and end the charade.”
Also Read: Will Smith to reunite with ‘Bad Boys’ director for Netflix action film
