An unconventional relationship. Jada Pinkett Smith‘s dating life made major headlines when August Alsina added himself into the narrative amid the actress’ decades-long marriage to Will Smith.
During an interview in July 2020, Alsina claimed that he had previously been romantically involved with Pinkett Smith — and that her husband gave his blessing.
“I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really deeply love and have a ton of love for her,” the New Orleans native said during an interview with “Breakfast Club” host Angela Yee. “I devoted myself to it, I gave my full self to it.”
Alsina noted that he had “literally never been in love” before his connection with the Scream 2 star.
After initially denying the musician’s claims, Pinkett Smith later revealed that she was separated from Smith when the “entanglement” took place. “We were over. From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August,” the Gotham alum said on Red Table Talk that same month, referring to her 2015 split from the Philadelphia native.
Smith, who joined his wife on the talk show, recalled the couple’s decision to part ways amid ups and downs in their marriage. “We decided we were going to separate for a period of time and you go figure out how to make yourself happy and I’ll figure out how to make myself happy,” he shared in July 2020. “I really felt like we could be over.”
Though the pair briefly reconciled, Pinkett Smith revealed in October 2023 that she and Smith had been separated since 2016 — but are trying to work through their marriage.
Scroll down for a full timeline of Pinkett Smith and Alsina’s “entanglement” drama: