In the wake of a startling revelation by her mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, the 22-year-old daughter of the celebrated couple Will Smith and Jada, took to Instagram, sharing a cryptic post that many believe resonates with her current emotional state.
The post on her Instagram Stories, shared on Thursday, exhibited the definition of 'resentment'. It read: "Resentment is literally the experience of feeling something over and over again (re-sentiment)."
Highlighting the cyclical nature of such emotions, it further stated: "It's being stuck in a loop. A helpful question to ask myself is, 'Do I want to keep feeling this way?' If the answer is no, then I get to remind myself that I can choose to feel differently." This profound term was a repost from the account of yoga expert Dayal Gauranga.
The timing of Willow's post aligns intriguingly with her mother, Jada's recent interview on the Today Show with NBC host, Hoda Kotb, 59.
© InstagramDuring the conversation, centered around her memoir titled Worthy, a significant revelation came to light.
Hoda, visibly taken aback, remarked that she had to re-read a particular section of the book that unveiled that since 2016, Jada and Will had chosen to "live completely separate lives."
© Getty ImagesIn Hoda's words, "It was not a divorce on paper, but it was a divorce." Jada affirmed the truth of this revelation with a nod.
Hoda probed further, seeking confirmation, "So since 2016, which is seven years now, y'all have been apart?" Jada, once more, responded affirmatively.
© Charbonneau/BEI/ShutterstockFor those familiar with the couple's history, Will and Jada have shared a journey of love since they wed in Baltimore, Maryland, on New Year's Eve in 1997.
The couple has been blessed with two children, Willow and 25-year-old Jaden. Will also fathers Trey, aged 30, from his previous marriage to Sheree Zampino.
Jada offered some insights into the couple's reasons for maintaining discretion around their separation.
She explained that they were navigating "how to be in a partnership" and figuring out how to communicate their relationship's evolved state to the public.
She confided: "In regards to, how do we present that to people? We hadn't figured that out." Jada cited numerous reasons for the emotional separation, chief among them being the weight of unmet expectations. She reflected, "By the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted of trying."
© Getty ImagesDespite their internal struggles, the couple has consistently projected unity in public, such as during the much-discussed Oscars incident in 2022. Furthermore, in 2020, both Will and Jada openly discussed Jada's relationship with musician August Alsina, which occurred during the couple's covert 2016 separation.
Delving deeper into the dynamics of their relationship in a candid chat with People, Jada revealed, “We’re still figuring it out. We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just have deep love for each other, and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”
Jada also shared her gratitude for the maturity and wisdom displayed by her children during these tumultuous times.
Speaking with People, she expressed, "My children, they’re little gurus. They’ve taught me a deep sense of self-acceptance. They love every part of me."
Appreciating their boundless love, Jada continued, "The level of love, unconditional love that they have for me and their dad... it's one thing to want to be the person that gives that unconditional love. And then there's, to be the recipient of that.”
