Actor Jada Pinkett Smith is best known for her roles in The Matrix sequels and the Madagascar animated film franchise. She first attracted attention after joining the Bill Cosby television series A Different World in 1991 and was launched to stardom with her role in the Eddie Murphy comedy The Nutty Professor.
She may be married to one of the richest men in showbiz, but Jada has earned herself a pretty impressive fortune during her expansive career as an actress. Some of her biggest roles include The Matrix franchise, The Nutty Professor, the Madagascar films, Bad Moms and Girls Trip.
Jada and Tupac met at Baltimore School of the Arts as teenagers. They had a tight bond up until Pac's death. In an interview with RollingOut last week, Pinkett Smith referred to Shakur as her “soulmate”.
She received guest roles in television shows such as Doogie Howser, M.D. (1991) and 21 Jump Street (1991), and earned a role on comedian Bill Cosby's NBC television sitcom A Different World in 1991, as college freshman Lena James. In 1993, Pinkett appeared in her first film, Menace II Society.
Jada Pinkett Smith | Before They Were Famous | She Turned Will Smith Into #1 Cuckold in The World
Did Will Smith love Jada?
Speaking with PEOPLE for her October cover story, Jada further detailed the state of her marriage to Will, noting, “We're still figuring it out.” “We've been doing some really heavy-duty work together,” she told PEOPLE. “We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”
Though their friendship had its share of ups and downs, both professed a deep love for one another that lasted right up until Shakur was killed in 1996 during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
In 1984, the family moved to Baltimore, and Shakur enrolled at the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts, where he said he was “the freest I ever felt.” It was also where he met Jada Pinkett, who became one of his closest and most trusted friends for the rest of his life.
Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, is the richest person and the richest man in the world with a net worth of $215 billion. After Arnault is Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
In 2023, Smith was the subject of an online death hoax after Facebook posts and YouTube videos claimed that he had died. Posts on various social media platforms claimed that Will Smith publicly announced the death of his son. This resulted in fans Googling whether or not Jaden had died.
In 1997, the rapper wed actress-singer Jada Pinkett Smith, and the pair welcomed their first child together, son Jaden, the following July. Two years later, they welcomed daughter Willow in October 2000.
In a 2019 People cover story, Jada recalls “infuriating pressure” to marry Will after getting pregnant with son Jaden. “I never wanted to get married. But my mother was like, 'You have to get married' — she's so old-school — and Will wanted a family. So I said, 'All right, maybe it's something I should do.
Pinkett Smith has been candid about her struggles with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack hair follicles in the head and face, leading to sudden hair loss.
Jada Pinkett Smith is an American actress, singer-songwriter, talk show host, producer, and businesswoman. She got her big break in 1991 when she landed the role of Lena James on the NBC sitcom, A Different World.
In April 1996, Shakur said that he, Morrissette, Snoop Dogg, and Suge Knight were planning to open a restaurant together. On April 29, 1995, Shakur married his then girlfriend Keisha Morris, a pre-law student.
Hence the day he got on my last nerve about the possibility of being more than friends, and I dared him to kiss me. Without hesitation, Pac grabbed me in his arms and did just that. The kiss lasted a few seconds before we both pulled away in mutual disgust.
No attackers came to the hospital. Shakur said he was dying while being carried into the emergency room. At the hospital, Shakur was heavily sedated, was placed on life support machines, and was ultimately put under a medically-induced coma after repeatedly trying to get out of bed.
During the NBC News prime-time special, Jada broke down the many startling revelations from her book, including her marriage to Will. Jada shared that she and Will have been separated for seven years. "Yes, it was not a divorce on paper, but it was a divorce," Jada told Hoda.
Following public backlash, Smith issued a formal apology in an Instagram post announcing his resignation from membership in the Academy. The AMPAS President, David Rubin, accepted the resignation. The Academy later announced its decision to ban Smith from future Oscar galas and associated events for 10 years.
1994. Will and Jada met when she auditioned to play his girlfriend on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She did not get the part, and he was married to Sheree Zampino — with whom he shares son Trey — at the time. “I had a realization I wasn't with the person I was supposed to be with,” he recalled on Red Table Talk in 2018.
