Jada Pinkett Smith’s reps have shot down claims that she and singer August Alsina had an affair with husband Will Smith‘s “blessing.” The Red Table Talk host’s team told TMZ Wednesday that Alsina’s allegations the day prior are “absolutely not true,” insisting that the details about her husband are also fabrications.
Alsina opened up about what he said was a longtime affair with the actress Tuesday during an interview with The Breakfast Club’s Angela Yee, claiming he was in a lengthy relationship with Pinkett Smith after being introduced to her by her son, Jaden, in 2015. Alsina’s 2019 track “Nunya” initially sparked speculation of a relationship between the two, as it included 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 music video also featured a text message shown from a woman named Koren, which was Pinkett Smith’s middle name at birth.
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During Tuesday’s interview, Alsina said his relationship with Pinkett Smith was not an affair, and that the Smith couple had something closer to an open marriage. “I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation…he gave me his blessing,” Alsina said. “And I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really, deeply loved and have a ton of love for [Jada]. I devoted myself to it. I gave my full self to it. So much so that I can die right now, and be OK knowing that I fully gave myself to somebody. … Some people never get that in this lifetime.”
He added that it was “difficult” to have that conversation, as it was “hard for people to understand.” As for his reasoning for speaking about the alleged affair publicly, he said, “Once it starts to affect me and my livelihood, I have to speak up about my truth.”
“Walking away from it butchered me … It almost killed me,” he continued, as per Complex. “Not almost. It did — it pushed me into being another person … It broke me down … It probably will be the hardest thing I ever had to experience in this lifetime. It’s difficult because I never want to be the person to cause confusion or step on toes, but I want to honor myself and I want to honor my authenticity. And if honoring my authenticity means you hate me, stone me, shoot me, crucify me, whatever, bury me an honest man.”
