Jada Pinkett Smith (born 1971) is an American actress, singer, and talk show host.
Jada Pinkett Smith
I'd seen Jada in several movies and television shows, but knew little about her, other than the fact that she was married to actor Will Smith; had an 'entanglement' with a friend of her son Jaden; and was at the Oscars when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. When I saw Jada promoting her memoir on a talk show, I got curious, and decided to read her book.
Jada Pinkett Smith on the television series 'Gotham'
One often thinks celebrities, being rich and famous, have easy lives, but reading their memoirs shows that's not always true. Jada begins her book by describing her despair at the age of forty: "For two decades, I'd been putting on a good face, going with the flow, telling everyone I was okay. Yet underneath, bouts of depression and overwhelming hopelessness had smoldered until they turned into raging hellfire in my broken heart." Jada was suicidal, but therapy and ayahuasca sessions (hallucinogens) with a medicine woman helped her heal.
After this revelation about her mental health, Jada goes back to the beginning, when she grew up on the mean streets of inner city Baltimore. As a child Jada lived with her mother Adrienne - a nurse who was addicted to heroin; and her grandmother Marion - a refined woman who taught Jada the importance of gardening, being well-rounded, and spirituality.
Young Jada Pinkett
Jada was something of a wild child, and as a young teen Jada was always sneaking out at night, navigating the dangerous Baltimore streets to see her boyfriend at the 7-Eleven. Jada had little use for school, and wanting to earn her own money, she became a drug dealer while also working part-time at a record store, or Merry-Go-Round (a clothing retailer), or the Gap. At one point, Jada even envisioned herself as a drug kingpin. During this time, Jada was robbed of her drug stash and money, and had a gun pointed at her, but was spared because she was 'too pretty.'
Inner City Baltimore
Teenage Jada Pinkett
Jada's acting/singing/dancing talent showed up early, and by the time Jada started ninth grade at Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA), she'd been in the TWIGS program (To Work In Gaining Skills) for a year - a course for students who were interested in music, dance, theater, visual arts, and other creative disciplines. At BSA, Jada met fellow students Josh Charles (the actor) and Tupac Shakur (the rapper).
Jada Pinkett in high school
Tupac Shakur in High School
Jada and Tupac became best friends, and remained close until the rapper was killed in 1996. Jada writes a great deal about her relationship with Tupac, whom she even visited in prison when he was accused of sexual assault.
Jada Pinkett and Tupac Shakur
After performing in many local productions, and a year at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, nineteen-year-old Jada made her way to Hollywood. Jada details her early days in the movie capital, which included auditioning, acquiring an agent, and experiencing racism in the form of the question: "What are you mixed with? Is your mother White?" Jada observes, "This [implied] that to look as I did, I couldn't be of full African American heritage." (Which she is.)
In a way, Jada was lucky, because from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, MANY doors began to open for Black actors and filmmakers, with TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, and In Living Color; and movies from directors Spike Lee, John Singleton, Julie Dash, and others.
After a relatively short time, Jada was cast as Hillman College student Lena James in the television series, A Different World, and she was on her way! Though Jada was becoming a show business success, she remained loyal to her homegirls and homeboys in Baltimore, who lived in a completely different world - one that often involved guns, drugs, and prison.
Jada Pinkett as Lena James on 'A Different World'
In the early days, Jada was something of a party girl in Tinseltown. She writes, "Play hard was my real-deal mantra. And it wasn't just drinking and getting f__ up, it was also men.....There were all flavors and varieties....Sex, for me, was a distraction from having to look at my genuine need to be held, have connection, and feel loved. It fed the appetite of the little girl who hadn't had enough parental affection and attention."
Jada Pinkett and Bumper Robinson on the television series 'A Different World'
Jada's first big movie was 'Menace II Society' (1993), in which she played a young single mother.
Jada Pinkett as a young single mother in 'Menace II Society'
Eventually, Jada had a multifaceted career in television, movies, and music - with her nu metal band 'Wicked Wisdom', which she started in 2002. Jada details her climb up the show business ladder, which required ambition, hard work, luck, and talent.
Nu Metal band 'Wicked Wisdom'
Jada Pinkett Smith singing with her 'Wicked Wisdom' band
In addition to the high points in her life, Jada highlights the inner turmoil she experienced. On an otherwise ordinary day, Jada was driving, felt hot and shakey, and turned into a side street to park. She notes, "I tried to to pull myself together through torrential tears and an avalanche of emotions. I felt incredibly anxious, my heart was beating out of my chest, my breath was short, and I couldn't fight off a tidal wave of sadness....It felt like fear and relentless sorrow had sucka-punched me." Jada called her mom to come to Hollywood, took steps to deal with the anxiety, and decades later, turned to ayahuasca and the medicine woman.
Jada and actor Will Smith knew each other casually for years before their relationship heated up around 1995. Jada writes about Will, "He was a gifted conversationalist, highly intelligent, well read, and contagiously passionate about a wide range of interests....He had an expansive vision, not just for his career, although he made no apologies about his drive one day to be the biggest movie star in the world."
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith got married on New Year's Eve
Jada writes about the couple's courtship, their marriage in 1997, their children Jaden and Willow, and 'bonus son' Trey, from Will's first marriage. Jada and Will's union had ups and downs, and (what many people would consider) a curious 'open marriage' arrangement. Jada home-schooled Jaden and Willow using a controversial learning method from Scientology, and Jaden moved out at the age of fifteen. All this is well-detailed in the memoir, in case you're curious. In any case, both Jaden and Willow now have successful entertainment careers.
Jaden Smith (left) and Willow Smith
Trey, Willow, Jaden, Jada, and Will Smith (from left to right)
In 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith, and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris began a talk show called the Red Table. The program, shown on Facebook from 2018 to 2022, was a "non-traditional talk show with topics explored from different, unfiltered perspectives." The show had a variety of high-profile guests, including Jessica Alba, Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, Leah Remini and many more.
The Red Table hosts, (from left to right) Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris
The actual red table, with (from left to right) Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Willow Smith
Many people might read Jada's book to learn more about her alopecia, her entanglement' with musician August Alsina, and 'the slap' at the Academy Awards. Jada talks about losing her hair, on and off over the years, until now she's almost bald. Jada mentions her relationship with Alsina (she doesn't write his name, calling him the entanglee), which occurred after Jada and Will agreed to live separate lives, but remain married. Jada also writes about being at the 2022 Academy Awards when Chris Rock made a joke about her alopecia, and Will strode up to the stage and hit him. So you can learn more about those incidents, if you're interested.
August Alsina and Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards
Jada includes much more in the book, writing a good deal about her extended family and friends, and expressing gratitude to the many people who provided career advice, guidance, and opportunities, such as Keenen Ivory Wayans, Debbie Allen, and others.
I found the book interesting, and have a new respect for Jada Pinkett Smith, who - despite lots of wild shenanigans - is a successful entertainer, loving mother, resolute activist, caring person, and dog lover.
Jada Pinkett Smith with her dog Bandit
Jada has gone on a long spiritual and self-education journey during her life, and she inserts advice, self-help tips, and philosophical ramblings at the ends of chapters. This is meant to be helpful, but I found much of it too airy-fairy.
Overall, I recommend the book to readers who enjoy memoirs.
Rating: 4 stars
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