Jada Pinkett Smith talks about marriage, the Oscar slap and her path to 'self-acceptance'

Jada Pinkett Smith was the center of attention at this year's Oscars, once again, when Chris Rock decided to speak out about the infamous slap incident in his comedy sketch. Now, Jada has revealed some very interesting things about her life in a new interview with PEOPLE, where she covered everything from her mental health, her marriage with Will Smith, and their ultimate split.

Ahead of her new memoir, which will be released on October 17, 2023, Jada told PEOPLE some new things that still has the world shaken, including the fact that she and Will have led separate lives for quite a few years now, and during the infamous Oscar slap, they had already been separated for six years. Speaking about the incident at the Oscars, where Smith also won Best Actor for King Richard, Jada said:

"I thought, ‘This is a skit.’...I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him,’....It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit."

She asked Will once he returned if he was okay. It seems this incident shocked Jada as much as it shocked the onlookers and millions of viewers around the world.

She went on to elaborate on many other aspects of her life in the same interview.

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"I couldn’t figure a way out besides death"- Jada Pinkett Smith on her period of depression and suicidal thoughts

Jada Pinkett Smith came a long way to rise to the top of Hollywood. She survived a tough Baltimore childhood and studied theater for one year at the North Carolina School for the Arts before making her way to Hollywood. Moreover, she struggled with parents who were hooked on substance abuse.

Jada Pinkett Smith met the young and talented Will Smith in 1994, and after Will divorced his first wife, Sheree Zampino, the two became a couple. Despite the immense career highs throughout her 30s, Jada fell prey to depression. She recalled:

"When I turned 40, I was in so much pain. I couldn’t figure a way out besides death. So I made a plan....But, while I was really living the dream, I hit a huge wall — a massive amount of depression. I think that I looked at having outside sources to supplement for the voids that I was feeling inside."

She admitted that, during this time, she contemplated committing suicide. She added:

"I started looking for places, cliffs where I could have an accident, because I didn't want my kids to think that their mother had committed suicide."

The resolution to this came in the oddest of ways when Jaden Smith mentioned that a friend's dad had gone through an ayahuasca ceremony. Jada elaborated:

"Ayahuasca helped me. It gave me a new intimate relationship with myself that I had never had before."

After taking the drug, Jada Pinkett Smith reportedly found more clarity in her life and the suicidal thoughts faded. She also spoke about how she and Will Smith got together for the first time, which has always been a topic of great interest. She said:

"Will called me up one day and said, ’Hit me when you get to L.A.’ and then ... click. And I was like, ‘Whoa. Okay.’ And so when I got to L.A., I called him. I haven't been able to get rid of him since."

All this is well documented in Worthy, Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir, which will hit the shelves on October 17, 2023.