Jada Pinkett Smith confirms ‘entanglement’ with August Alsina and teaches us all an important lesson

Jada Pinkett Smith has confirmed rumours she engaged in a relationship with August Alsina while separated from Will Smith.

She made the revelation during a candid conversation on her Red Table Talk show – a Facebook talk show hosted by Pinkett Smith that has quickly become the go-to show for celebrities setting the record straight – on Friday.

According to the couple, they were going through a “difficult period of time” around four years ago and mutually decided they “were going to separate for a period of time”.

It was during this time that Pinkett Smith began a relationship with her son’s friend, August Alsina.

She confirmed:

I got into an entanglement with August.

When pushed by her husband to clarify what “entanglement” meant, she elaborated:

Yes. It was a relationship – absolutely.

After Alsina sent social media into meltdown earlier this month with details of the relationship, Pinkett Smith denied the claims – with a representative calling it “absolutely not true” – and people didn’t know what to believe.

Alsina said at the time:

I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation. Due to the transformation from their marriage to their life partnership that they[‘ve] spoken on several times, and not involving romanticism, he gave me his blessing. 

I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life. I truly and really, really deeply loved, 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 OK with knowing that I truly gave myself to somebody.

Addressing this “blessing”, Pinkett Smith clarified in this most recent video:

The only person that can give permission in that particular circumstance is myself.

I could actually see how he would perceive it as permission because we were separated amicably and I think he also wanted to make it clear that he's also not a homewrecker. Which he's not.

People had a lot of thoughts about the whole 13-minute-long interview to set the record straight, and found the use of the word “entanglement”, particularly curious.

While matters of celebrity gossip and how they're perceived online may not seem particularly important or relevant, this would make the Smiths one of the most high-profile couples to even hint openly about non-monogamy, and the idea of being able to remain romantically involved with your spouse after having a relationship with someone else.

Although you wouldn't know it by the amount of people who are still tweeting about her "cheating".

Still, plenty of others recognised that a consensual relationship between adults, no matter how many or in what configuration, is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

And Jada and Will are still considered one of everyone's favourite celebrity couples.

Just over a week ago, we covered the problem with people referring to this as an "affair" and why the embracing of nontraditional relationship models is important.

Maybe now's the time to start.