Hollywood power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith‘s relationship was recently propelled into the spotlight as rumours of their open relationship resurfaced.
According to singer August Alsina, 51-year-old Will had given him the green light to pursue an affair with his wife, 48, that lasted over a year – claims which Jada’s camp have denied.
Read Also: Will Smith Gave His Blessings For My Affair With Jada Pinkett – August Alsina Claims
The news has caused somewhat of a social media storm, with many speculating on the sensational claims. However, it’s actually not the first time that the idea of an open relationship has been floated between the couple.
The couple, who met when Jada auditioned to star on Fresh Prince of Bel Air, secretly tied the knot in 1997. Since then, Will and Jada’s relationship appears to have stood the test of time.
2011: Rumours of cheating
Having welcomed two children, Willow and Jaden, their marriage was first shaken in 2011 amid rumours of cheating. According to reports at the time, Jada had grown close to J-Lo’s then husband Marc Anthony.
According to Us Weekly, the pair had an “inappropriately close” friendship and Marc was “caught at the family home”. The allegations were denied and the couple firmly shut down rumours that their marriage was on the rocks.
2013: Talk of an open marriage
The first time that the couple appeared to tease they were in an open relationship was in 2013.
At the time, Jada spoke to HuffPost Live that Will had the freedom to do what he wanted.
“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,'” she told HuffPost.
“Because at the end of the day, Will is his own man. I’m here as his partner, but he is his own man. He has to decide who he wants to be and that’s not for me to do for him. Or vice versa.”
2015: Divorce denial
In 2015, Will took to social media to furiously deny rumours that he and Jada were getting a divorce.
According to the star, Will had received messages of condolences from friends and he wanted to set the record straight.
“I promise you all if I ever decide to divorce my Queen I SWEAR I’ll tell you myself!” he wrote.
2015: They ‘can be attracted to other people’
In 2015, Jada was chatting to Howard Stern about her marriage and explained that there was a huge amount of trust between them.
“I’m not the kind of woman that believes that a man is not gonna be attracted to other women. I’m just not that girl. It’s just not realistic.”
She added: “Just because your man is attracted to another woman does not mean he doesn’t love you. That’s not what it means. And it doesn’t mean he’s gonna act on it. If your man can’t really see another woman’s beauty, how the hell is he gonna see yours?”
2017: Swinging rumours addressed
In 2017, Jada clapped back at ongoing allegations that the couple were into the swinging scene. Appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Jada spoke about the ‘craziest’ rumours she’d heard about herself.
“The craziest rumour? That Will and I are swingers. That’s the craziest one. It’s constant!” she said. “And I’m like, ‘yo I wish! I wish!'”
2018: They become ‘life partners’
Will and Jada’s marriage was once again brought into focus when the couple revealed how they saw their relationship. In an interview with Rap Radar, Will explained that they were more than just husband and wife.
“We don’t even say we’re married anymore,” he said. “We refer to ourselves as life partners, where you get into that space where you realize you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life.”
“There’s no deal breakers. There’s nothing she could do – ever,” he said on the show. “Nothing that would break our relationship. She has my support till death, and it feels so good to get to that space.”
2020: Allegations of Jada’s affair ‘supported by Will’
August Alsina revealed on his YouTube channel that after being introduced to the Smith family by Jaden, he pursued an affair with Jada that was supported by Will.
August even attended the 2017 BET Awards with Will’s wife, and went on holiday with the Smith family in 2016.
In the video, August said: “I actually sat down with Will [Smith] and had a conversation due to the transformation from their marriage to life partnership … he gave me his blessing.”
Photo Credit: Getty
