Jada Pinkett and Will Smith: why the choice to keep the separation hidden was “a smart move”

When Jada Pinkett Smith revealed to the press that theshe and husband Will Smith have actually been separated for seven years, fans flooded the internet with comments, proving they were in shock. Some of them felt betrayed, as if the two actors had deliberately lied, deciding to maintain privacy regarding their choice of separation. There are also those who suspect that giving the bombshell news is part of a deliberate strategy to make Jada Pinkett sell more copies of her memoir Worthyfreshly published.

Because Jada and Will were right to keep their separation a secret

Couples therapist Tammy Nelson, author of the essay The New Monogamyexpressed an opposite opinion, making it known through the pages of Insiderswhich in his opinion is the actors’ decision to keep their status as a couple private it shows that they care about each other and that they want to protect themselves from media interference. «Basically they remained masters of their choice, stating: “No one can tell us how to live”. In their case, not communicating the separation to the public was obviously important, and this must be respected.”

According to Nelson, it’s not about wanting to deceive the public or be false and hypocritical. Rather, Keeping some details of your private life to yourself can be a way to protect your family and to live one’s life freely, outside the traditional norms of marriage. Furthermore, according to the therapist, it was a shared choice, desired by both.
«There are still many suspicions regarding those who live marriage in an unconventional way”he further added, “but the truth is that marriage can take different forms at different stages of life, including choices to live separately or have other partners.”