By Hannah Nicole // Love & Marriage // EEW Magazine Online

A viral interview snippet is making its rounds on the Internet featuring Jada Pinkett Smith’s shocking revelation that she and her husband, Will Smith, have been leading "entirely separate lives" since 2016.

Despite appearing to be in love and actively working to build a solid foundation for their relationship, in a preview from her upcoming NBC News primetime special alongside Hoda Kotb, Pinkett Smith explained that the pair had remained private about the situation because they were not "ready yet” to discuss it publicly.

According to the Girls Trip actress, the two were attempting to understand how to maintain their partnership amid separation. "How do we show that to people?" Pinkett Smith asked Kotb, confessing that they were still trying to figure it out.

Having tied the knot in 1997, Pinkett Smith, 52, and Smith, 55, remain legally married. However, numerous incidents put their relationship in the spotlight during their period of separation.

For instance, in July 2020, when much younger R&B singer, August Alsina, disclosed his past romantic involvement with Pinkett Smith, the public was stunned. She later confirmed the relationship—which she labeled an “entanglement”—on an episode of her now canceled Facebook series, "Red Table Talk," with her husband as a guest on the show. Pinkett Smith said, at the time, the marriage was going through a tough phase when it happened.

Adding fuel to the fire was the notorious Academy Awards scandal where Will Smith, who won “Best Actor” for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard, stormed onstage and struck presenter Chris Rock for making a wisecrack about Pinkett Smith's alopecia-caused hair loss.

In a candid interview with People magazine, Pinkett Smith said she first assumed the slap was a comedy skit between them and only realized it was real when huer angry spouse started walking back to his seat. She immediately expressed her concern by asking him if he was alright.

During her revealing conversation with Kotb on their marriage troubles, Pinkett Smith mentioned that various factors led to their broken relationship. By 2016, she said that both had reached a point of exhaustion and frustration over unmet expectations.

Despite the circumstances, Pinkett Smith, who reveals more about her life, career, and marriage in her soon-to-be-released memoir, Worthy, hitting the shelves on October 17, “made a promise” never to divorce Will, something she has maintained throughout their hardships.

As these new revelations create a buzz, EEW Magazine is using the opportunity to use the shocking truth behind the Smiths’ marriage to share five lessons Christians can learn from it.

1. The Bible is our ultimate guide: Christians should always prioritize biblical principles over celebrity culture. The Bible teaches us how to love, sacrifice, and commit ourselves to our spouses and relationships, whereas celebrity marriages often fail to provide these valuable lessons.

2. Celebrities are not perfect role models: Jada Pinkett Smith's recent revelation reminds us that celebrity marriages are not immune to imperfections and struggles. Christians should not idolize these marriages but instead focus on following the teachings of the Bible in their own relationships.

3. Idolatry distracts from our relationship with God: Celebrity worship and fixation on celebrity marriages can lead to the sin of idolatry, directly contradicting biblical teachings. Christians should avoid putting celebrities on a pedestal, instead placing God at the center of their lives.

4. Celebrities' lives are heavily mediated: The way celebrities present their lives, including their marriages, is carefully crafted for public consumption. Christians should be mindful that they are not getting the full or honest picture of a relationship when looking to celebrity marriages for guidance.

5. Emphasize personal growth and faith development: Instead of focusing on others' relationships, Christians should invest time in nurturing their bond with God and applying biblical teachings to develop strong personal foundations for their own relationships.

These five lessons, based on what we have discovered about the latest celebrity marriage controversy, reinforce the crucialness of prioritizing biblical principles over celebrity culture.

Furthermore, as Philippians 2:12 instructs, it is critical to “work out your own salvation” by focusing on personal growth and faith development.