Yahoo Sports Jada Pinkett Smith Defends Her Wildly Misinterpreted Comments About Her Sex Life
Dissecting the state of Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s marriage has been a pop culture staple for over two decades.
So, whenever either of the two actors opens up about it, their social media followers grab their scalpels.
Case in point: Pinkett Smith took time from her day on Wednesday to inform the masses that “Will and I have NEVER had an issue in the bedroom” after she was criticized for admitting in the most recent episode of her Facebook show “Red Table Talk” that expressing her sexual needs to her husband “has been a journey.”
Only because I got time today.
Stop making up headlines.
Watch the @RedTableTalk I did with @GwynethPaltrow for yourselves.
Will and I have NEVER had an issue in the bedroom. Thank you❣️https://t.co/wBpqSTTaGi— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) October 28, 2021
Oscar-winner and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow was a guest on the episode — and because Paltrow’s new Netflix series “Sex, Love, & Goop” revolves around sex, the recent episode of “Red Table Talk” zeroed in on the topic.
Pinkett Smith and her mother, “Red Table Talk” co-host Adrienne Banfield-Norris, were most interested in discussing the topic of developing a healthy sexual relationship through communication with Paltrow.
The trio chatted openly about how many women have trouble clearly expressing their sexual needs to their partners due to taboos or shame, with Paltrow admitting that even though she facilitates conversation on the subject, she is “still shy to talk about my sexual stuff.” (And this is someone who sells a candle inspired by her own vagina.)
Paltrow said that one thing that helped her become more open with her partner was realizing that as a woman, she was conditioned not to speak up for herself when it came to her sexual needs.
“What happens when you don’t speak up for yourself, you’re also not accountable,” Paltrow said. “You’re not saying ‘Hey, this is my half of this,’ or ‘This is where I feel lacking’ or ‘Here’s my insecurity.’”
When a person is vulnerable with their partner and takes accountability “for our sexual selves,” she continued, the conversation becomes less combative and it’s easier to breach the topic.
Pinkett Smith agreed with Paltrow, suggesting that taking accountability must be working for the lifestyle entrepreneur and her husband of three years, Brad Falchuk, because “we read about you having some of the best sex these days.”
“But I’m a newlywed,” Paltrow replied. “I’m cheating maybe a little bit.”
Pinkett Smith jokingly responded with: “Me, on the other hand, down and dirty in it, 26.” And when Paltrow noted it was an “amazing” accomplishment that the two had been together so long, Pinkett Smith responded with a groan.
“It’s hard,” Pinkett Smith said. “The thing that Will and I talk about a lot is the journey. I mean, we started [our marriage] at a very young age.”
“I think that’s why the accountability part really hit for me, because I think you expect your partner to know, especially when it comes to sex. It’s like ‘Well if you love me, you should know [what I need].’ You know what I mean? ‘If you love me, you should read my mind.’ That’s a huge pitfall.”
Pinkett Smith said that after years of marriage, she outgrew that mindset.
“You tell me what you need. Tell me what you want, and on top of it, I know that I have to be accountable to do the same … I really try. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s deeply healthy.”
Pinkett Smith’s candid comments quickly earned her somewhat of a public scolding online, however, with people expressing that they felt she was oversharing or revealing that her marriage was in shambles. Some tweeted that Pinkett Smith was embarrassing her husband and urged Smith to file for divorce. Headlines also suggested that Pinkett Smith finds it “hard” to maintain a healthy sex life with her husband.
The couple’s marriage has always been a hot topic, but it has gained even more exposure recently. Last year, Pinkett Smith admitted she had an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina during an incredibly awkward episode of “Red Table Talk” with her husband. In September, Smith was candid about the unconventional nature of the couple’s marriage during an interview with GQ, saying in part:
“We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
