Hollywood superstar Will Smith's revelation about him and his actress wife Jada Pinkett Smith having an open relationship outside their marriage has taken the internet by storm, leaving netizens divided.
In a candid interview with GQ, Will confirmed that both he and Jada have, with mutual agreement, engaged in sexual relationships outside their marriage.
Jada and singer August Alsina had a brief affair in 2015 when the actress was separated from her husband Will. He confessed in the interview to GQ that she was not the only one engaging in other sexual relationships.
He also opened up about his dream at one point of having a “harem of girlfriends,” which included A-lister Halle Berry.
“I don’t know where I saw it or some s**t as a teenager, but the idea of travelling with 20 women that I loved and took care of and all of that, it seemed like a really great idea,” Will tells GQ.
Will shared that they two had differences in ideologies which created conflict between them.
“Jada never believed in conventional marriage. … Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship…So, she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection?”
"What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection,” Will stated.
He also pointed out that marriage was not a "prison" to him or Jada and that being honest with each other and themselves helped them strengthen their bond now.
“We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”
The honest confession about their open relationship outside marriage has triggered a debate on social media.
While several netizens are questioning the institution of marriage and being unfaithful to your partner, a few of them are saying that this will hopefully help legitimise consensual non-monogamous relationships.
Others are criticising the actor, saying that he is doing all it for publicity.
Sparking debate on Twitter, netizens discuss the changing dynamics of relationships in today's time and the legitimacy of a consensual non-monogamous relationship.
Though Will and Jada are in a much better place now, he opens up in his book about the phase when his marriage hit a roadblock.