Jada Pinkett Smith’s latest Red Table Talk has set a new record as Facebook’s most-viewed original episode in the first 24 hours, according to Variety.
Within 16 hours after her bombshell tell-all confessional was posted on Friday, the segment, which detailed her affair with singer August Alsina, was viewed more than 12 million times.
Previously, the Gotham actress’ 2019 interview with Jordyn Woods discussing allegations she slept with Tristan Thompson, the father of Khloé Kardashian’s two-year-old daughter, held the one-day record at 7.6 million views.
New record: Jada Pinkett Smith’s latest Red Table Talk has set a new record as Facebook’s most-viewed original episode in the first 24 hours
During the 12-minute episode, titled Jada Brings Herself to the Table, the 48-year-old and her longtime husband Will, 51, shared the truth behind the rumors of her and August’s relationship.
Jada explained she developed a friendship with August four years ago, but revealed she and Will were going through a ‘difficult time’ and had ‘basically broken up.’
The shocking confessional comes after both actors initially denied August’s claims that Will gave him his blessing to have a relationship with Jada
In Friday’s episode of Jada’s Facebook show, the Hollywood couple sat opposite each other as they set the record straight and reaffirmed their commitment to each other.
Shocking: Jada explained she developed a friendship with August four years ago, but revealed she and Will were going through a ‘difficult time’ and had ‘basically broken up’
Face-to-face: The actress, 48, sat down with her husband for an intimate conversation on her Facebook show, Red Table Talk , where she revealed how the relationship took place
Jada began explaining the couple met August through their son Jaden, 22, and recalled the singer, who would have been 23 at the time, was ‘really sick’.
Jade said: ‘And it all started with him just needing some help, me wanting to help his health, his mental state.
‘The outpouring for him from our family was initially about his health,’ she said. ‘We found all those different resources to help pull him through and from there you and I were going through a very difficult time.’
After Jada’s confession, Will admitted: ‘I was done with you,’ while Jada added that they decided to separate for a ‘period of time’.
Confessional: Jada said she developed a friendship with August four years ago, but revealed she and Will were going through a ‘difficult time’ and had ‘basically broken up” (pictured together at the 2017 BET Awards)
‘And then what did you do, Jada?’ Will asked, urging his wife to keep talking.
‘As time went on, I got into a different type of entanglement with August,’ Jada explained.
The mother-of-two went on to respond to August’s claim that Will gave her ‘permission’ to have an affair.
‘The only person that can give permission in that circumstance is myself,’ she insisted.
Strong: In Friday’s episode of Jada’s web series, the Hollywood couple sat opposite each other as they set the record straight and reaffirmed their commitment to each other
‘But what August was probably trying to communicate because I could see how he could see it as permission because we were separated amicably, and I think he wanted to make it clear he’s not a home wrecker, because he’s not.’
When Will pushed Jada to clarify what she meant by ‘entanglement’ she responded, ‘It was a relationship, absolutely.’
Jada continued: ‘I was in a lot of pain, and I was very broken. In the process of that relationship I definitely realized that you can’t find happiness outside yourself.’
She explained the couple were going through a process of healing.
‘I just wanted to feel good, It had been so long since I felt good… and it was really a joy to just help heal somebody.’
The Set It Off star pondered whether her actions were down to her codependency issues and needing to ‘fix people’ due to her past traumas.
As Will made light of the fact that he’s being the dutiful husband and standing by his wife after her ‘transgressions’ amid intense media scrutiny, Jada admitted that she doesn’t see her relationship with August ‘as a transgression at all’.
Jade said: ‘Through that particular journey, I learned so much about myself and was able to really confront a lot of emotional immaturity, emotional insecurity and I was really able to do some really deep healing.
‘And as I came through and started to realize certain things about you and I, he decided to break all communication with me which was totally understandable.
‘And I let that be and hadn’t talked to him since, so it is a little weird that all this stuff is coming out now since this was several [years ago].’
Will chimed in: ‘For me, this was years ago,’ as Jada reflected on how far they’ve come in their relationship, ‘We have really gotten to that new place of unconditional love.’
At one point in the conversation they echoed each other, saying: ‘We ride together. We die together. Bad marriage for life,’ a reference to a catchphrase in Will’s Bad Boys franchise.
August told The Breakfast Club’s Angela Yee on June 30 that he was in love with Jada and said: ‘I sat down with Will [Smith] and had a conversation due to the transformation from their marriage to life partnership… he gave me his blessing.’
August said the two became very close, and holidayed together with the family in Hawaii a year later and they even attended the 2017 BET Awards together.
He said: ‘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.
‘I devoted myself to it, I gave my full self to it, so much so to the point that I can die right now and be okay with knowing that I truly gave myself to somebody.
‘And I really loved a person, I experienced that and I know what that feels like, and some people never get that in this lifetime.
‘I know that I am completely blessed and this conversation is difficult because it is so much, that it would be hard for people to understand but, once it starts to affect me and my livelihood, I have to speak up about my truth.’
Breaking silence: August told Angela Yee during their interview that he usually wouldn’t discuss the affair, but he’s ‘lost money, friendships, relationships’ over the rumors
Shortly after Will’s representative branded the reports as ‘wrong’, while a spokesperson for Jada denied the claims to Page Six, calling them ‘absolutely not true’.
But a day later on July 2, Jada tweeted: ‘There’s some healing that needs to happen… so I’m bringing myself to The Red Table.’
Jada has been married to Will since 1997, they are parents to Jaden and daughter Willow, 19. Will has a son Trey, 27, from his marriage to Sheree Zampino, 53.
‘It was a relationship, absolutely,’: Will asked Jada to clarify what she meant by ‘entanglement’
In 2019 August had denied an affair with Jada had taken place after his track ‘Nunya’ was released.
Rumors were sparked by the lyrics: ‘You got me feeling like it was an act, you’re just an actress / Putting on a show ’cause you don’t want the world to know.’
The singer now says he is not speaking out to cause trouble.
He said: ‘Contrary to what people may believe, I am not a troublemaker. I don’t like drama. Drama actually makes me nauseous.
‘And I also don’t think that it is ever important for people to know what I do, who I sleep with, who I date … but in this instance it is very different because as I said, there are so many people that are side-eyeing me, looking at me questionable.
Solidarity: The two high-fived in the middle of the interview
Denial: The couple, pictured here in 2016, initially denied the claims coming from August
‘I have lost money, friendships, relationships behind it and I think it is because people don’t necessarily know the truth. But I have never done anything wrong.
‘I love those people [the Smiths] literally like my family. I don’t have a bad thing to say about them. They are beautiful people.’
Jada has previously denied rumors that she and Will are in an open relationship and said they will never divorce.
Will has previously said that the couple no longer use the ‘married’ title but refer to each other as ‘life partners’.
‘We don’t even say we’re married anymore,’ he told BET in 2018.
‘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.
Still, Will seemed sensitive in a conversation 50 Cent shared to Instagram late Friday.
The rapper appeared to anger Will Smith after asking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s admitted affair.
The 45-year-old Candy Shop hitmaker posted a supposed exchange with Will, 51, appearing to extend his support after the longtime spouses’ tell-all confessional on Jada’s Red Table Talk.
But 50 struck a nerve with his questions, enraging Will enough to earn a ‘f*** you’ from the amiable star.
Heated exchange: 50 Cent angered Will Smith after asking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s admitted affair with with singer August Alsina in a series of private messages shared on Instagram late Friday
In his first messages Mr. Cent starts by asking the actor: ‘Yo Will you alright over there?’
The father-of-three replied: ‘Yes, I’m cool. I appreciate your support brother.’
50 Cent then inquired why Jada made her admission so publicly, writing: ‘But why did she tell you that s**t on a show for everyone to see?’
Will responded: ‘We broke up so she did her and I did me.’
The Grammy winner’s next message offended Smith, which read: ‘Then she said only SHE can given permission for somebody to blow her back out.’
‘F**k you,’ the two-time Academy Award nominee fired back.
Pressing questions: 50 Cent then inquired why Jada made her admission so publicly, writing: ‘But why did she tell you that s**t on a show for everyone to see?’ (seen in 2019)
The final message between the pair was 50 Cent claiming he didn’t now what he did wrong.
Still, it was unclear if the messages were authentic or simply 50’s idea of a joke.
Elsewhere on the internet, rumors were flying about a potential fling between Will and his Suicide Squad castmate Margot Robbie.
Robbie‘s name began trending on Twitter after the instantly infamous interview.
The 30-year-old Wolf Of Wall Street actress was the subject of multiple tweets from users wondering if she and her 51-year-old costar had had an affair in the past.
The social media users may have been emboldened after viewers of Will’s conversation questioned whether he hinted at an affair of his own during the Red Table Talk chat.
Rumor mill: Elsewhere on the internet, rumors were flying about a potential fling between Will and his Suicide Squad castmate Margot Robbie; pictured in 2016
Margot was briefly among the trending topics on Twitter, along with Will, which led one user to make a sex joke about the actors.
‘Margot Robbie on top of Will Smith in the trending,’ wrote a user who went by Jack. ‘I mean, that’s the story, isn’t it?’ he joked.
Another user shared a video of Margot’s appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon from December 2018, in which she played a game where she and Jimmy read personal questions, then had to say the answer out loud.
They each could also reveal the question out loud, or take a shot to keep it secret.
During the game, Margot revealed Will Smith was the answer to her mystery question, but she chose to drink a shot rather than reveal what she was asked.
Crude: Margot was briefly among the trending topics on Twitter, along with Will, which led one user to make a sex joke about the actors
Mum’s the word: A clip from The Tonight Show in December 2018 showed Margot answering ‘Will Smith’ to a personal question, then choosing to take a shot rather than reveal the question
‘Will Smith bagged Margot Robbie? This video makes so much more sense now,’ the Twitter user joked.
Another user going by Ally tweeted: ‘margot robbie when everyone starts bringing her name up in this will and jada mess,’ along with a short clip of the Real Housewives Of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes claiming she wasn’t involved in a dispute with her costars.
Another person tweeted a funny video of a man jumping over a fence in a single bound and walking forward determinedly.
‘Will jumping over Margot Robbie gate, right after red table talk,’ they wrote.
‘but I will say this. Margot Robbie never snitched,’ joked one person.
Not involved: Another user going by Ally tweeted a short clip of the Real Housewives Of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes claiming she wasn’t involved in a dispute with her costars
Having a laugh: Another person tweeted a funny video of a man jumping over a fence in a single motion and walking forward determinedly. ‘Will jumping over Margot Robbie gate, right after red table talk,’ they wrote
Staying quiet: One person joked that Margot never ‘snitched’ about the rumored tryst
Standing up for her: Many of the tweets were filled with misogynistic jokes about Robbie, though a few users came to Margot’s defense
Many of the tweets were filled with misogynistic jokes about Robbie, though a few users came to her defense.
‘Margot Robbie has said that she has a rule not to get involved with coworkers and there is no proof to her having an affair with Will Smith.
‘Also if Will and Jada are in an open relationship that’s their business leave them alone. Stop getting so involved with celebs personal life,’ wrote Keiley Kaiser.
Turning their attention: After Jada, 48, admitted to having an affair with the singer–songwriter August Alsina, 27, some of Will’s comments led viewers to question whether he’d had his own dalliances in the past; shown in 2016
After Jada, 48, admitted to having an affair with the singer–songwriter August Alsina, 27, some of Will’s comments led viewers to question whether he’d had his own dalliances in the past.
The Gemini Man star said the couple had ‘made mistakes without fear of losing’ their family.
‘We came together young and we were both broken in our own ways. To be able to make mistakes without fear of losing your family is so critical,’ he said.
Some viewers also picked up on Jada’s contention that Will had already gotten his revenge, as pointed out by the Mirror.
‘”Make mistakes” = cheat on one another. Let’s get reals,’ wrote on person on social media.
‘Will Smith getting through this discussion without acknowledging the women he’s been with since him & Jada have been on a break,’ tweeted another.
Mistakes? The Gemini Man star said the couple had ‘made mistakes without fear of losing’ their family
In the past: Some viewers also picked up on Jada’s contention that Will had already gotten his revenge, as pointed out by the Mirror
Back in November 2013, Margot was forced to deny any impropriety with Will after photos of the two getting intimate in a photo booth were published by Star Magazine.
One picture showed Will from behind as he wrapped his arm around Margot’s throat while they made playful faces at the camera.
In another photo, Margot pulled her shirt up to expose her bra, while will pulled his shirt up and touched his naked chest against her back.
‘Been working non-stop, just catching my breath. There’s absolutely no truth to the ridiculous rumor in Star mag…’ Margot tweeted at the time.
‘…It’s disappointing that goofing around on set could be taken so out of context [sic].’
‘When we did our audition together, we had a natural chemistry,’ Margot previously said of her costar. ‘I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.’
Old school: Back in November 2013, Margot was forced to deny any impropriety with Will after photos of the two getting intimate in a photo booth were published by Star Magazine; shown with Cara Delevingne in 2016
Risqué: In one photo, Margot pulled her shirt up to expose her bra, while will pulled his shirt up and touched his naked chest against her back; still from Focus (2015)
Alone time: An eyewitness on set claimed to Radar Online that Margot jumped on Will’s back and he carried her back to his luxury trailer on set, skipping the movie’s wrap party; still from Focus
The two actors took the photos while filming 2015’s Focus, in which Will played an experienced con man who took a young grifter, played by Margot, under his wing.
Radar Online reported shortly after the photo booth shots were released that the actors had been alone at the time and weren’t celebrating as part of a set party.
The eyewitness on set claimed that Margot jumped on Will’s back and he carried her back to his luxury trailer on set, skipping the movie’s wrap party.
Will and Margot worked together again on DC’s Suicide Squad, though his character won’t be returning for its confusingly titled upcoming sequel The Suicide Squad.
First collaboration: The two actors took the photos while filming 2015’s Focus, in which Will played an experienced con man who took a young grifter, played by Margot, under his wing
Second time: Will and Margot worked together again on DC’s Suicide Squad, though his character won’t be returning for its confusingly titled upcoming sequel The Suicide Squad
Will Smith and Margot Robbie: The history behind the rumors
Will Smith appeared on his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s show Red Table Talk where she got candid about her affair with singer August Alsina during a rough patch in her marriage.
However multiple remarks on the show led fans to question whether Will had affairs of his own while married to Jada.
Now fans have dredged up romance rumors about Will and Margot Robbie that date back to when they made the 2015 film Focus together – speculation Margot has strenuously denied.
Here’s a quick look at Margot and Will’s history:
Side by side: Will Smith and Margot Robbie are pictured together at the London premiere of their film Suicide Squad in August 2016
April 2013: Rumors of an open marriage swirl after Jada says on HuffPost Live: ‘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.”‘
June-September 2013: Margot films Suite Francaise in France and Belgium and while on the set meets assistant director Tom Ackerley, who eventually becomes her boyfriend.
September 2013: The movie Focus, which stars Will and Margot, begins filming in New Orleans, Louisiana.
High-five: Will and appeared on his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s show Red Table Talk this Friday where she confessed to an affair with singer August Alsina
November 2013: Margot, then 23, is forced to deny a liaison with Will, then 45, after Star publishes playful snaps of them together.
One picture showed Will from behind as he wrapped his arm around Margot’s throat while they made playful faces at the camera.
In another photo, Margot pulled her shirt up to expose her bra, while illW pulled his shirt up and touched his naked chest against her back.
However after Star ran the pictures Margot tweeted: ”Been working non-stop, just catching my breath. There’s absolutely no truth to the ridiculous rumor in Star mag…’ adding that ‘It’s disappointing that goofing around on set could be taken so out of context’.
December 2013: Principal photography wraps on Focus in New York City.
February 2015: Will and Margot embark on multiple joint interviews while promoting Focus ahead of its release that month.
Throwback: Will and Margot’s first movie together was the 2015 film Focus, which was shot from September to December 2013
April-August 2015: Principal photography occurs on Suicide Squad, the first film to reunite Will and Margot since Focus.
August 2016: Suicide Squad releases in theaters after reshoots earlier that year, becoming a box office smash despite poor reviews.
December 2016: Margot marries Tom in Byron Bay, New South Wales in her native Australia.
July 2020: Will and Jada discuss the rough patch in their marriage during which she had an ‘entanglement’ with August. Although Will says he will ‘get you back’ for that period of time, Jada says with a laugh: ‘I think you’ve gotten me back. I think we’re good on that, okay?’
On the same episode of Red Table Talk he says that ‘to be able to make mistakes without the fear of losing your family is so critical.’
In character: Will and Margot reunited onscreen for the 2016 comic book movie Suicide Squad in which she is pictured as Harley Quinn
