Jada Pinkett Smith’s Mom Adrienne Banfield Norris ‘Fought Tooth and Nail’ Against Olivia Jade Appearing on ‘Red Table Talk’

Olivia Jade Giannulli broke her silence on the college admission scandal on Tuesday via Red Table Talk, and co-host Adrienne Banfield-Norris, mother to host Jada Pinkett Smith and grandmother to fellow co-host Willow Smith, was not a fan of the idea of having Giannulli as a guest. In fact, when the three women were approached about Giannulli’s interest in having their show be the first interview since the scandal, and the first-ever for the 21-year-old, Banfield-Norris “fought tooth and nail,” objecting to the idea of having her on because as the daughter to actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Massimo Giannulli, she was the “epitome of white privilege” in the 67-year-old’s eyes.

“I just found it really ironic that she chose three black women to reach out to for her redemption story,” Banfield-Norris shared before Giannulli sat down at the table. “Her being here is the epitome of white privilege to me.” While Smith and Willow both welcomed the family matriarch’s thoughts and views, Smith quickly jumped in and explained why she found it important to allow Giannulli a safe space to share her thoughts. “I understand where you’re coming from, but let me just be clear: I never want to be the thing that was done to me by White women,” Smith said.

She added, “I never want to be that.” Her mom looked down at the table and said, “OK,” while Smith continued to make her point. “I also believe that these are the kinds of attitudes that feed the same thing we’re fighting. It’s like, people look at us, they say, ‘You’re Black, and you’re female,’ and they automatically put us in a category. So, looking at her as being White and privileged and putting her in a category, it’s the same thing. So I just see it as a cycle.”

Banfield-Norris responded with, “It’s not our responsibility to raise her consciousness.” Smith then said, “There’s gonna be lots of people that agree with you […]” while Willow said, “One hundred percent.” While both Smith and Willow agreed with her, they also viewed it from the other side too. After Smith admitted that they were gonna “get heat” for doing the interview, she said she felt this was an act of “compassion.”

“I also feel like this is a practice of compassion. To me, this young girl is reaping the repercussions of some actions of her parents. When I heard her story, it just reminded me of Jade, Willow and Trey,” she said, but Banfield-Norris was not in agreement. Smith explained that being the parent who’s in the public eye, sometimes the kids take the heat for the parents’ decisions, which made her more empathetic to Giannulli’s situation.

During the interview, Banfield-Norris was not hesitant to tell Giannulli her feelings towards the situation. However, after Giannulli explained her side, how she’s learned from the situation, and how she plans to move forward, Banfield-Norris seemed to appreciate that it was learned.