Jada Pinkett Smith broke down in tears on her latest Red Table Talk show as she reflected on the ‘stiff upper lip’ attitude she was raised to live with as a child.
The 50-year-old actress has opened up about her own early life and the confused feelings she felt as a child as she ‘bottled up’ what she was really feeling.
She thinks this approach to life held her back and left her unable to fully process the pressures of life – and she says it has resulted in her having a ‘terrified little girl’ trapped within her.
The mum-of-two – who is married to slap-happy Oscar winner Will Smith, 53 – was hosting an episode titled How Destructive Mothers Damage Their Daughters: Could This Be You?.
Her daughter, 21-year-old Willow Smith, was on her panel – as was Jada’s own mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and the self-help author Kelly McDaniel.
Addressing the women around her, Jada admitted: “I had to deal with a lot of stressful, adult things at a young age. I didn’t have the ability to deal with the emotions that were coming with it.
“I just had to 'buck up’.
“And so those women you see that you think are so strong, there's this terrified little girl underneath. And that's me.”
As the panel sat momentarily in silence, Jada’s face began to crack into tears, sparking a wave of sympathy from her panelists.
Will emphatically said: “Oh mommy. I mean, this is why we do the work.”
While Kelly offered: “It’s part of the journey.”
Jada’s comments come just weeks after husband Will famously slapped comedian Chris Rock for joking about her hair at the 2022 Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles.
The 57-year-old comedian made an ill-judged comment about Jada looking like she was preparing to play G.I Jane in a film – seemingly unaware that she suffers from alopecia and the joke being an allusion to the fact armed forces personnel traditionally shave their heads.
While Jada winced at the joke and rolled her eyes, Will took matters into his own hands – or, rather, right palm – as he stormed the stage and soundly slapped Chris square in the chops.
He then returned to his seat and repeatedly screamed: “Keep my wife’s name our of your f**king mouth!”
Moments later, however, all was seemingly forgotten and forgiven as the A-List packed audience whooped, cheered and gave Will a standing ovation as he was crowned Best Actor and he returned to the stage again to pick up his gong.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct at 0207 29 33033.
