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From hair loss to a proposal from prison, Jada Pinkett Smith’s new memoir gives new insight into her relationship with Tupac Shakur.
As Jada Pinkett Smith gears up for the official release of her memoir, “Worthy,” on Tuesday, Oct. 17, media outlets that received an early preview have been sharing breadcrumbs about the tea within its pages.
One of the book’s many revelations highlighted just how close Pinkett Smith and Tupac Shakur were. Through the years, Pinkett Smith has been very open about the special bond she shared with the late rapper. In addition to labeling Shakur one of her soulmates, she divulged that, despite having what she described as a platonic relationship, the rapper once proposed to her. In “Worthy” Pinkett Smith shared that Shakur became fixated on the idea while serving a sentence at Rikers Island in 1995.
“When he asked me to get married, he was at Rikers,” she said during an interview with the “All The Smoke” podcast, hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “And I knew at that time that A., he needed somebody to do time with him — which I was gonna do anyway. You ain’t have to marry me to do time. I’m here.”
In her memoir, Pinkett Smith recounts the time she visited Shakur in prison. Describing it as “one of the painful parts” to reflect on, she explains that the rapper was not only in “bad shape” but also experiencing a mentality shift. Looking back on it today, Pinkett associated the marriage proposal with his desire for a support system.
“I think that for him, he just felt like, ‘OK, if I can tether myself, it’ll keep me on a trajectory,’” Pinkett explained to the podcast hosts. “Because of our friendship and because of everything we have been through together, he just wanted to feel that solidified foundation, you know? […] Because I promise you, he would have married and divorced me as soon as his ass left jail.”
The actress also recently shared with People magazine that, like her, Shakur struggled with alopecia. According to Pinkett Smith, the late rapper’s hair loss began in 1991 after he was arrested.
“After he was in Northern California with the police officers that beat him up, he started losing his hair. And his alopecia patterns were far more extreme than mine,” she said, per People. “I don’t think Pac ever talked about his alopecia, […] that was during a time and during an era that you wouldn’t — he just wouldn’t talk about it.”
In addition to revisiting her bond with Shakur, Pinkett Smith also discussed the complexities of her marriage to Will Smith. As previously reported by theGrio, the couple has been separated since 2016. However, despite living separate lives for the past seven years, the two continued to make public appearances together at events like the 2022 Oscars.
“Listen, weddings are beautiful, but they can be very romanticized,” Pinkett Smith told Parade when asked about the couple’s decision not to have a prenup. “I feel that was a very real moment for the two of us to look each other in the eyes, recognize that there would be tough times in this journey and to say to each other, ‘No matter what, we’re going to figure it out.’ And that’s why we don’t need a prenup because I’m making a promise that divorce won’t be necessary, that we will figure this out.”
Whether it’s the Oscars slap, entanglements, or their decision not to sign a prenup, the Smiths’ relationship has long been a “topic of fascination” for the public. While Pinkett Smith has openly discussed the nuances of her relationship during the press tour for the book, her longtime partner has remained mute — until this weekend, that is.
On Sunday, the “King Richard” actor shared his first Instagram post since the details of his separation came out. In a post captioned “notifications off :)” Smith jokingly shared a video of himself on a boat, sleeping through various phone notification chimes. “Fun fact about me: I can take a nap almost anywhere,” Smith said in a voiceover.
With Pinkett Smith commenting in laughing emojis under the post, it’s clear there is no bad blood between the separated couple.
“We’re still figuring it out,” said Pinkett Smith about her relationship with Smith, per People. “We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”
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