Why The View's Ana Navarro Calls Jada Pinkett Smith's Will Smith Separation Reveal "Unseemly"

The cohosts of The View, including Ana Navarro, recently discussed the revelation that Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have been separated for seven years.

By Elyse Dupre Oct 12, 2023 7:48 PMTags
Watch: "The View" Host Slams Jada Pinkett Smith's Split Reveal

Ana Navarro is giving fans her view on Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith's separation. 

After the Girls Trip actress revealed she and the Men in Black star privately parted ways in 2016, The View cohost shared what she really thinks of Jada's admission.

"Why do I know so much about these people's marriage?" Ana said on the Oct. 11 episode of the show. "Like, literally—I kind of feel like I know more about their marriage than I know about my own damn marriage."

The 51-year-old noted she'd rather watch reruns of Will's movie Bad Boys and his '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air than hear more about his marital status with Jada.

"Just leave this out of my head," she continued. "I don't need to know all of this."

Over the course of their 26-year marriage, Will and Jada's relationship has made headlines. This includes when the Matrix: Resurrection alum admitted to an "entanglement" with August Alsina in a 2020 episode of her series Red Table Talk.

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Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith Through the Years

However, not all The View cohosts agreed with Ana's remarks. Joy Behar pointed out "a lot of people are fascinated by this particular couple." In fact, Sunny Hostin noted she was one of them—especially given the 2022 Oscars incident in which Will slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about Jada's bald head when she lives with alopecia.

"I don't think anybody knows what goes on in any marriage," Sunny added. "They've lived very public lives, and the slap heard around the world I definitely thought was a reaction of Will's to sort of, I guess, protect her honor somehow."

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic, ABC/Jeff Lipsky

Still, Ana questioned the timing of Jada—who is releasing her memoir Worthy Oct. 17—sharing these insights.

"Listen, I think she's having a relationship with her bank account," she said. "'Cause every time she needs to increase the ratings of the Red Table, every time she needs to sell books, she drops these bombshells. I find it unseemly. And I will tell you this: Be careful of anybody who pretends to have a perfect marriage."

However, Joy called the move "smart," and Sunny said Jada was "brave" for sharing her story in her memoir. 

"I think it has less to do with money," she added. "She has plenty of money." 

Ultimately, Ana couldn't believe Jada and Will kept the secret for so long. "You telling me, he slapped the s--t out of Chris Rock, ruined his career, got banned from the Oscars, swept us all up in the drama, and they're not even schtupping," she wrote on her Instagram Stories. "Not for 7 years?"

As for the reason Jada and Will stayed tight-lipped?

"I think just not being ready yet, still trying to figure out between the two of us how to be in partnership and in regards to how do we present that to people," the 52-year-old told Hoda Kotb in Today's October 11 clip from the upcoming Jada's Story – An NBC News Special. "And we hadn't figure that out."

However, Jada noted they haven't decided to legally end their marriage.

"I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce," she continued. "We will work through whatever, and I just haven't been able to break that promise." 

To look back at more of Jada and Will's jaw-dropping quotes, keep reading.

Way Beyond Being "Married"

"We don't even say we're married anymore. We refer to ourselves as 'life partners,' where you get into that space where you realize you are literally with somebody for the rest of your life," Will Smith said during an interview with TIDAL's Rap Radar podcast. "There's no deal breakers. There's nothing she could do—ever—nothing that would break our relationship. She has my support till death, and it feels so good to get to that space."

Rumor Patrol

"I've heard all the things—their marriage is not real, he's gay, she's gay, they swing. But at the end of the day, people have to believe what they have to believe. I'll tell you what, it's too hard to be in a pretend marriage. Life's too short for that one." — Jada Pinkett Smith on Atlanta's Q100

Spill the Secrets

"There's really not a secret per se. If you don't get divorced that year, you get to add one more year to your marriage." — Will Smith to E! News 

Trust in the Smiths

"Should we be married to individuals who can not be responsible for themselves and their families within their freedom? Should we be in relationships with individuals who we can not entrust to their own values, integrity, and LOVE...for us??? Here is how I will change my statement...Will and I BOTH can do WHATEVER we want, because we TRUST each other to do so. This does NOT mean we have an open relationship...this means we have a GROWN one." — Jada Pinkett Smith on Facebook. 

Parent of the Year

"I'm not gonna be silly. I'm here to honor you. Just watching the piece with the kids it just takes me back to when we made them. Can't help but think about that. It's just amazing. It's like you take Jada Pinkett Smith and an obscure town in Mexico and some tequila and you end up with great kids!" — Will Smith at Vh1's Dear Mama Event

Stable Support

"You gotta trust who you're with, and at the end of the day, I'm not here to be anybody's watcher. I'm not his watcher. He's a grown man. I trust that the man that Will is is a man of integrity. HE's got all the freedom in the world, and as long as Will can look at himself in the mirror and be OK, I'm good." —Jada Pinkett Smith on The Howard Stern Show

Rumor Has It

"In the interest of redundant, repetitious, over & over-again-ness... Jada and I are...NOT GETTING A DIVORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!! : -) I promise you all - if I ever decide to divorce my Queen - I SWEAR I'll tell you myself! #‎Dumb‬ People Should Have to Wear Scarlet D's." — Will Smith on Facebook

Love Wins

"I never thought about being married or having a family. I didn't know anything about that because I came from a single mom so I always though I'd be a single mom and have a career. Then I found this beautiful man, Will. I got married to him and I got my bonus son Trey and then I got Jaden and I got Willow and I was able to create, for myself, something I never had—which means family." — Jada Pinkett Smith at Vh1's Dear Mama Event

Super Woman

"She is just absolutely hardcore, like she absolutely is unfazed by the weight and the pressures of life. She is so calm and cool and easy in any situation. She can bear anything, and I just love that about her." — Will Smith to People 

Publicity Please

"If you really want to know, I'm thankful for the Hollywood scrutiny, that that's my problem. There are mothers out there losing their sons, their husbands, their daughters. I'm blessed. So scrutinize me. I'll take that any day over what the majority of my people are dealing with on a daily basis. I dare not complain." — Jada Pinkett Smith to American Way magazine 

Loyal to the End

"He's been by my side through some of the most difficult parts of my life. And so that's something you can never take away. A lot of other things, you never know, other things might change...but one thing is for sure: I love him deeply and he is my best friend." — Jada Pinkett Smith on HuffPost Live

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