Jada Pinkett Smith has lived comfortably in the spotlight since her debut in the early 1990s.
While lauded for her acting skills, evident through her Daytime Emmy Award, she is also recognized for her notorious personal life.
HELLO ! dives into Jada's transformation from a Baltimore native to one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.
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Before the fame
In 1971, Jada was born to mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and father Robsol Pinkett Jr. According to her grandmother, who helped raise Jada for much of her youth, she always had a passion for the arts. It wasn't long before she was enrolled in piano, tap dance, and ballet lessons, thus catalyzing her journey into stardom.
However, Jada's childhood was not all good and well. The Nutty Professor actress has often spoken out about her mother's struggle with heroin addiction while Jada was growing up.
During her Red Table Talk, Jada opened up: "I think I didn’t find out my mother was addicted to heroin until I was in my teens. I could tell when my mother was high. She couldn’t make it on time to pick me up from school, or [she was] nodding off, falling asleep in the middle of something."
Despite their struggles, the two have always remained close: "A mother and daughter's relationship is usually the most honest, and we are so close."
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Early career
After studying acting and dance at Baltimore School of the Arts (BSA), Jada began her career in 1990, by starring in an episode of True Colors. She made a series of appearances in other sitcoms before landing her first film, Menace II Society.
She got the role through her friend, Tupac Shakur, whom she met at BSA. The two remained close, often speaking about their relationship and love for one another.
When asked about his friend Jada, Tupac stated: "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life. We'll be old together. Jada can ask me to do anything and she can have it."
Jada shared in the 2003 documentary Tupac: Resurrection that Shakur was "one of my best friends. He was like a brother. It was beyond friendship for us. The type of relationship we had, you only get that once in a lifetime."
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Jada meets Will in 1994
While auditioning for the role of Will's girlfriend on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Jada met her future husband, Will Smith. The two instantly connected, leading Will to ask his co-star and friend, Alfonso Ribeiro, to set them up on a date.
However, when Will was supposed to meet Jada again, he got distracted and ended up meeting his first wife Sheree Fletcher Zampino. The two were married for three years and had one son, Trey, before getting divorced in 1995.
Jada and Will quickly reconnected after that. In a tell-all interview with Red Table Talk, Will revealed his first conversation with Jada after the divorce:
"I said, 'Hey Jada, what's up? It's Will.' She said, 'Hey, how are you doing? I said, 'OK, are you seeing anybody?'" "And she said, 'Um ... no.' I said, 'Cool, you're seeing me now.'"
And so began Jada and Will.
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Jada's first pregnancy and marriage to Will
In 1997, Jada Pinkett became Jada Pinkett Smith. At the time of their wedding, Jada was already three months pregnant with her first child.
In a statement to Hoda Kotb for NBC News, she stated her concerns about the wedding, saying: "There was no way I was going to have a baby and have us not be married."
However, on Red Table Talk, Jada confessed that she never wanted to get married and felt "pressured" by her mother to go through with it.
Yet, she and Will married before welcoming their son, Jaden, in July 1998.
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Second pregnancy with Willow
Just two years later, their second child, Willow, was born.
During the NBC News special, Jada continued to share her thoughts about motherhood. Heavily influenced by her experiences with her mom, Jada stated: "There were a lot of things that she showed me not to do, but there were also a lot of things that she showed me to do."
The mother-of-two, however, went into motherhood with full force, appreciating the power she was given by her husband Will.
"The beautiful thing about Will is that when it came to the kids, that was my territory. He was really smart about that because he knew that he was always out and about and working."
He always let her take the reins, saying "he knew that was my lead."
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Jada's Alopecia diagnosis
In a heartfelt confession during a 2018 Red Table Talk segment, the actress spoke candidly about her "terrifying" diagnosis of Alopecia.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, Alopecia areata is a disease that can cause hair loss anywhere on the body, but often on the scalp.
After finding clumps of her hair falling out during her showers, Jada was forced to confront her changing appearance. She expressed fear and surprise, exclaiming "Oh my god, am I going bald?"
She continued: "It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking in fear. That's why I cut my hair, and why I continue to cut it… My hair has been a big part of me.
"Taking care of my hair has been a beautiful ritual and having the choice to have hair or not. And then one day to be like, 'Oh my god, I might not have that choice anymore.'"
In 2021, Jada shared her progress with her battle, expressing a positive outlook moving forward: "Now at this point, I can only laugh."
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A candid talk with Will
During the same Red Table Talk, the couple got real about rumored affairs and troubles within their marriage.
Jada specifically invited Will on the show to have a candid discussion about a comment made by singer August Alsina, who claimed that he had been in a romantic relationship with Jada during their marriage.
She explained that she was only romantic with August during a time when she and Will were separated.
“About four and a half years ago ... I started a friendship with August. We actually became really, really good friends,” Jada said.
“It all started with him just needing some help, you know? Me wanting to help his health, his mental state.”
Jada acknowledged that she and Will were going through a difficult time, leading Will to jokingly reply: "I was done with your ass."
“Yeah, you kicked me to the curb,” Jada conceded.
However, after their relationship, Jada realized that she wanted to be with her husband again. She and August soon broke off communication and haven't spoken since.
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First public appearance with Will since separation
The couple put on a united front for their first public appearance since news of their secret separation.
Accompanied by their son Jaden, 25, and daughter Willow, 23, the family posed happily together at the Los Angeles premiere of Will's new movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
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