What Will Smith and Kids Have Said About Jada Pinkett Smith Separation

From affair claims to a suspected open relationship, rumors have been swirling for years about the state of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's marriage.

Although the couple maintained a united front, Pinkett Smith recently admitted that the pair have been "living separate lives" since 2016. The confession came during an interview with Hota Kotb ahead of Pinkett Smith's upcoming memoir Worthy.

Many fans expressed concern for her husband and wondered how the couple's two children—Jaden Smith, 25, and Willow Smith, 22—felt about their parents' separation going public.

How Jaden and Willow Smith Feel About Their Parents' Separation

According to a source close to the siblings, the pair are supposedly "feeling relieved" that the secret is out, as it was putting them "in a very strange and uncomfortable situation."

The insider told the Daily Mail: "Although Jaden and Willow love their mom to no end and take on many of her behaviors and traits, they are very relieved the news is finally out there so everyone can just get on with it, no one is getting any younger."

Apparently, the siblings want "everyone to be true to themselves," with the revelation reportedly putting an end to any behind-the-scenes drama.

"They were constantly asked about their parents and for seven years they had to basically lie to everyone and pretend that everything was perfectly fine when they knew it was not,' the source continued. "This made them extremely agitated at times and they would constantly get in fights with each other and with them."

Nevertheless, Willow wishes her mom had taken a different approach to delivering the news, according to the source.

"She does not know why her mom had to go and tell the world all their dirty laundry. She feels like she is laughed at by all her peers," they added.

Once news of the separation broke, the singer shared a mysterious post to her Instagram Stories.

"Resentment is literally the experience of feeling something over and over again (re-sentiment)," the post read. "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."

As the post went live around the same time as Pinkett Smith's interview with Kotb, fans suspected the cryptic message was meant for her mom.

In a more direct response to the separation news, Willow penned a letter for her mom, which was read out loud to Pinkett Smith during her appearance on The Jay Shetty Podcast on October 16.

"When I told Willow you were coming on today, she sent a little note that I want to read to you," Shetty told her.

"Mom, I am incomprehensibly proud of you and all of the inner excavation you have done during the writing of your book," Shetty read. "There were many times during the process where you would read me sections and deep emotions would come up for us both. Learning from you, through learning about you, is one of the biggest joys of my life."

He continued: "You never cease to inspire me with how wide you've opened your heart, not only to the immense joys of life, but also to the deep uncertainties and shadows with equal gratitude and grace.

"You have shown me true tenderness and true strength come from the same place within, and that is something that I aspire to show others. Thank you for loving me. I'm so grateful for you."

Clearly touched by the letter, Pinkett Smith said: "That's my little guru right there."

How Will Smith Feels About the Separation News Going Public

In a statement to The New York Times, Smith said that the memoir was a wake-up call for him to get his marriage back on track.

"When you've been with someone for more than half of your life a sort of emotional blindness sets in, and you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties," he told the paper via email.

Smith has previously discussed his desire to make his relationship with Pinkett Smith work. In an interview with GQ in 2021, Smith appeared to confess that the couple had opened up their marriage after an argument on his wife's 40th birthday.

"Jada never believed in conventional marriage. Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up," he said.

After discussing the matter, the pair decided that monogamy didn't always mean "relational perfection."

"We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way," he said. "Marriage for us can't be a prison. And I don't suggest our road for anybody. I don't suggest this road for anybody.

"But the experiences that the freedoms we've given one another… and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love."

However, Pinkett Smith seems to suggest the opposite. According to The New York Times, the couple are not in an open relationship and their marriage is a "relationship of transparency."

During the interview with Kotb, the A Different World star said that although she and Smith live separately, the couple are still legally married and do not plan to divorce any time soon.

"I came into [marriage] with very specific ideas, right? Very specific ideas that were blocks. To me just seeing Will for who he is. He can't be this perfect idealized husband," Pinkett Smith told the NBC News host.

"I have to be able to accept him for the human he is. He accepts me for the human that I am, and we want to love each other there. We really have been working hard," she said.

Smith and Pinkett Smith met in 1994, when the actress auditioned for a part on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The sitcom launched Smith—who at the time was best known for his rap music—to stardom, but unfortunately for Pinkett Smith, she didn't land the role as his love interest.

However, the pair reconnected in 1995, after the actor split from then-wife Sheree Zambino, with whom he shares son Trey Smith, 30. They tied the knot in 1997, while Pinkett Smith was pregnant with Jaden, with Willow following in 2000.

Newsweek has reached out to Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Jaden Smith for comment.