‘That’s why I can’t divorce that joker’: Jada Pinkett Smith brought to tears by Will Smith letter

‘You are one of one, a rare blend of power and delicate sensitivity,’ Will writes about his wife

Jada Pinkett Smith was brought to tears over a heartfelt letter from Will Smith.

The Girls Trip star recently appeared on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast on 16 October, one week after revealing that she and her husband have been separated for seven years. In the podcast episode, host Shetty gave Jada a note from her husband Will, in which the Men In Black actor expressed his awe and appreciation for Jada’s upcoming memoir, Worthy.

Although the pair have been separated since 2016, Will’s note indicated that there’s still a lot of love between them. Shetty read Will’s note aloud for Jada, saying: “I just turned the final page of Worthy.

“It is amazing to realise that despite having lived most of my life by your side, I still found myself shocked and stunned and caught off guard, laughing, then inspired, then heartbroken I was all over the place. It’s one thing to hear anecdotes at a family barbecue, but it was truly overwhelming to take in your story, potently condensed in this way.”

“You are one of one, a rare blend of power and delicate sensitivity,” the podcast host continued, as he shared Will’s words of admiration. “I know it wasn’t easy to excavate the depths in that way. I applaud and honour you. If I had read this book 30 years ago, I definitely would have hugged you more. I’ll start now. Welcome to the Authors Club. I love you endlessly. Now go get some Merlot and take a rest.”

With tears in her eyes, Jada jokingly replied to Will’s last sentence, noting: “He knows I can’t have no Merlot. That’s beautiful. That’s why I can’t divorce that joker.”

The teaser, which was released ahead of the full podcast episode, provided glimpses into Jada’s memoir, Worthy - including anecdotes about her life journey and her complicated marriage with Will.

Last week, Jada revealed the bombshell news that she and Will had been separated for many years. As she sat down with the Today’s Hoda Kotb to promote her upcoming memoir, the 52-year-old actor disclosed to Kotb that she and Will, 55, had been living “completely separate lives” for seven years.

Although neither had the heart to file for divorce, Jada clarified: “Yes, it was not a divorce on paper, but it was a divorce.”

Kotb was taken aback by the revelation and asked Jada why the pair had hidden their separation from the public eye for so long. She replied: “I think just not being ready yet. Still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in a partnership, and in regards to how do we present that to people, you know? And we hadn’t figured that out.”

For years, rumours and speculation swirled around the couple. However, both Will and Jada have publicly denied they were separated and maintained that they were still married. She dispelled the majority of these rumours, saying: “I can definitely understand why there would be misunderstandings, but none of it’s true.”

When Kotb asked what led to the separation, Jada admitted: “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.”

The former Hollywood power couple connected on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and later tied the knot in 1997. Will was previously married to ex-wife Sheree Zampino, with whom he shares son Trey Smith, 30. Jada and Will are also parents to two children - Jaden, 25, and Willow, 22.