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.