Will Smith-Jada Pinkett separated: A Timeline of their romance, marriage and cheating

Jada Pinkett and Will Smith met briefly on the set of 1990s sitcom 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air'. Jada had auditioned for a role as Smith's character's girlfriend on the '90s sitcom but she didn't get the part as she was too short. The role went to Nia Long.

Will Smith was then married to Sheree Zampino but after his split from Sheree, Smith asked Pinkett, ''Are you seeing anybody?'' When she said no, he replied, ''Cool. You’re seeing me now''. 
 

After two years of dating, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith tied the knot on New Year's eve. At the time, Pinkett was pregnant with their first child, Jaden. 

Jada Smith gave birth to her first boy Jaden on July 8, 1998. Two years later, the couple welcomed their daughter, Willow Smith, on October 31, 2000.

The two kids proved they have a knack for acting like parents. In 2006, Jaden appeared in his dad’s movie 'The Pursuit of Happyness' as his son. Willow appeared in 'I Am Legend' alongside her father and in 2010 released her song, 'Whip My Hair'.

The couple starred together in the 2001 movie 'Ali' in which Will Smith Played Muhammad Ali and Jada Pinkett portrayed his wife's role, Sonji Roi. The film focuses on ten years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali, from 1964 to 1974. 

In year 2003, Will and Jada Smith starred in their first show together, 'All of Us' . The show was written and directed by Smiths, and the series ran for four seasons before eventually getting canceled in 2007.

In 2013, People magazine along with other publications speculated that the pair engages in relationships outside of their marriage. In early 2013, Pinkett Smith denied being in an open relationship. She said, "I’ve always told Will, 'You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay."

In 2015, Will Smiths confirmed their marriage is rock solid. he then said, "With Jada, I stood up in front of God and said, 'Til death do us part,' Smith said. "So there are two possible outcomes. One, we are going to be together till death, or two, I am dead."

The couple continue to stay strong amid cheating scandal and more.

Jada Pinkett Smit has revealed that she has been separated from her husband Will Smith since 2016- 6 years before the infamous Oscars slap when Will Smith had hit Chris Rock for poking fun at Jada.

The actress made the revelation in an interview that aired Wednesday. Jada revealed that the couple had already been living "totally separate lives" for years before the notorious incident, Pinkett Smith told NBC News.

In 2020, news about Jada having an affair with August Alsina came to light. After denying her alleged affair, Jada Pinkett admitted that she was having an affair with singer August Alsina, while she and Will were on a break. 

Pinkett Smith had admitted in her reality show 'Red Table Talk' that she was in an 'entanglement' with Alsina in 2015 when she and Smith were taking time off from their marriage.