Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith—who quietly separated in 2016—stepped out for dinner in Calabasas Nov. 7, marking the estranged couple’s first joint public appearance in over five months.
Watch: Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals How Her Marriage to Will Smith Impacts Her Kids’ Future Relationships
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith remain united.
The estranged couple, who married in 1997 and have been separated since 2016, dined together Nov. 7 in Calabasas at Crossroads Restaurant, which is co-owned by Travis Barker.
Will, 56, was dressed casually for the excursion in a white T-shirt over an earth green short-sleeve button down shirt and matching pants, while Jada, 53, sported a tan jacket and jeans. As they made their exit, the Girls Trip star wrapped her arm around the Fresh Prince of Bel Air alum before the two exchanged hugs with a friend.
Back in May, the pair reunited on the red carpet at the L.A. premiere of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, joined by their kids Jaden Smith, 26, and Willow Smith, 24, as well as Will’s son Trey Smith, 31, with ex Sheree Zampino. The family outing marked Will and Jada’s first public appearance together after she revealed their long-standing separation in her memoir, Worthy.
“Why it fractured, that’s a lot of things,” the actress said of her marriage in October 2023 while discussing the book with Today. “I think by the time we got to 2016, we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be.”
Although the two live in separate homes—albeit in the same neighborhood—the Set It Off star admitted she’s not interested in making the split official.
BACKGRID
“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce,” she continued. “We will work through whatever, and I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”
And the feeling appears to be mutual, as Will—who made headlines for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars over comments about his wife—affirmed his commitment to his and Jada’s “sloppy public experiment in unconditional love” at an event promoting her book release.
“Jada is the best friend I have ever had on this planet,” he said, according to The Baltimore Banner, “and I am going to show up for her and support her for the rest of my life.”
Keep reading for a closer look at Will and Jada’s decades-long relationship.
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Throwback!
Stunner in a blue outfit (dress?)! Will and Jada are all smiles at the Devil in a Blue Dress premiere in 1995.
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White hot
Have you ever seen anything more ’90s glam than this? The couple poses together in 1997, the year they got married.
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Baby bump alert
Jada is styling more than just a trendy silver coat in this 1998 red carpet photo: she’s showing off her baby bump in a sleek black dress. Jaden Smith was born on July 8, 1998.
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Suited up
Hats off to the couple who never cease to show up on a red carpet in style. Here they are together at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California in 2005.
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Here comes the bride
Jada ignored the old superstition of never wearing to black to a wedding as she and Will head to Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise’s 2006 wedding in Rome, Italy.
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Family affair
The kids are here in London, England with Will and Jada on the red carpet at The Karate Kid premiere in 2010.
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Say cheese
Orange you glad to see this picture of Will and Jada together? The happy couple smiles in New York City in 2010.
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Oh Canada
Willow, Jaden, Will, and Jada Pinkett Smith pose together in a family shot at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.
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Glam in green
Jada dazzles in green as she and Will arrive at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in 2016.
Instagram
Vacation mode
Everyone is all smiles for a family vacation after making a quick pit stop at the 2018 World Cup.
Instagram
Soft smiles
Will posts an Instagram tribute to wife Jada, acknowledging that they’ve been together for “HALF OUR LIVES!”
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Entanglement
In 2020, Will and Jada addressed Jada’s alleged affair with August Alsina.
Admitting she and August had an “entanglement” while she and Will were separated, she explained, “It was a relationship. I was in a lot of pain and I was very broken. In the process of that relationship I definitely realized you can’t find happiness outside of yourself. Luckily enough, you and I were also going through a process of healing in a much different manner.”
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2022 Oscars
During the 2022 Academy Awards, Will slapped host Chris Rock over a joke the comedian made about Jada’s shaved head.
After the slap, Will resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and was banned from its events for 10 years. He also apologized to Chris—calling the slap “unacceptable” and noting “there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.”
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Separation News
In Oct. 2023, Jada revealed she and Will have been separated for 7 years, including the six leading up to the 2022 Oscars.
“We’re still figuring it out,” Jada told People in a profile published Oct. 11. “We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”
