Despite rumors of a rocky marriage, 40-year-old actress Jada Pinkett Smith dispelled any rumors of a possible divorce from her husband, famed actor Will Smith.
“It seems like that happens at least once a year, or at least once every two years—it’s rumored that we’re getting a divorce,” Pinkett said in the September issue of Essence magazine. “But no, we’re not getting a divorce. Where am I going to go? That’s my boo. It’s like another part of me.”
As the mother of two famous children, Pinkett understands that living a life under the microscope comes with the territory. Beyond the talk of her relationship with her husband, she deals with the constant criticism of her daughter, Willow, 11.
“How people feel about Willow is how people feel about Willow. But what I’m most concerned about is how Willow feels about herself,” said Smith. “She’s an independent, courageous, genius, talented little girl. I’m happy for her, that she can just be who she is.”
It was in fact her daughter who spurred her to action after Willow shared the viral Kony 2012 video about child soldiers in Uganda. Smith was pushed to learn more about how she could positively affect endangered children, especially victims of human sex trafficking.
“We’re all affected by this,” she said. “And one women is one woman too many. We have to extend beyond ourselves.”
Smith has urged Congress to pursue the fight against sex trafficking. In addition she has launched a website and met with victims. She said she learned much about the issue from actress Angelina Jolie, who “schooled” her.
Jada said: ‘I called Angelina Jolie and said, “Ange, I need you, girl. Did you know we have slaves in this county?”
‘She said, “Jada, I’ve been working on this for years – are you kidding me?”
“So I sat on the phone with Angelina and of course it was like going to college. She schooled me.”
