With two children and 20-plus years as a married couple, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are one of the defining couples in Hollywood who have repeatedly made headlines for their ‘rocky’ (or, normal?) relationship.
But in an interview with GQ which saw Will hand over a draft of a memoir he is writing, he revealed that he and his wife have had sexual relationships with other people.
Will admitted monogamy stopped working for them, with the couple coming to blows following a dinner party in which left 10-year-old Willow in tears.
“We could no longer pretend. We were both miserable and clearly, something had to change,” he wrote in the draft.
“We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison.”
Despite their unconventional relationship being widely scrutinised – and largely keeping quiet on the specifics – it’s clear the couple’s openness has allowed them to move forward in a positive and healthy way.
During a Red Table Talk in 2018, Will, 53, reflected on how their marriage was about working through struggles together rather than immediately seeking divorce as an option.
“We had to rebuild with new rules and something way, completely different,” he said.
And back in 2005, Will reportedly told the Daily Mail that he and Jada, 50, had asked for each other’s permission before having a relationship with someone else, with both of them respecting each other’s boundaries and wishes.
“If it came down to it, then one can say to the other, ‘Look, I need to have sex with somebody. I’m not going to if you don’t approve of it – but please approve of it’,” he said.
More recently, rapper August Alsina claims to have had a relationship with Jada having secured Will’s “blessing” before embarking on the “entanglement”.
For dating expert Hayley Quinn, this mutual respect is a central rule of open relationships as it enables each partner to understand what they should and shouldn’t expect from their relationship.
But how each couple approaches this understanding can vary.
Whereas some may agree any relationship outside the marriage is on the cards, others may draw the line at different, specific sexual practices.
Talking about boundaries is crucial when forming an open relationship.
“What happens in an open marriage really is at the discretion of the couple involved – and there’s not a one size fits all model that will work for everyone,” Quinn told OK!
During a Facebook Live in 2015, Jada revealed Will had the freedom to do what he wanted so long as he was happy with himself.
“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,” she said.
Afterwards, she quickly addressed her comments on Facebook, clarifying that she didn’t mean Will was open to cheat behind her back.
“Here is how I will change my statement…Will and I BOTH can do WHATEVER we want, because we TRUST each other to do so,” she said.
Hayley notes that the trust between Will and Jada makes for a perfect example of a healthy open relationship, with both parties putting faith in one another to pursue their own happiness.
“As hard as it can be for some people to wrap their head around the idea of sharing their partner with someone else, to some couples open marriages mean they experience a high degree of trust and love with their partners,” she said.
“It’s important to recognise there’s no one right way to experience love or to build a relationship, and for some people having an open marriage is the key to their relationship’s longevity, not its demise.”
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