Highlights
- Will Smith's relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith has been both rocky and complicated, with rumors of affairs and a recent revelation that they have been separated since 2016.
- Will Smith has been married twice, with his first marriage to Sheree Zampino lasting only three years. They have a son together.
- Will Smith tried to pursue a romantic relationship with his co-star Karyn Parsons during their time filming The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but she rejected him to protect their professional relationship. Parsons had only good things to say about Smith's personality and charisma.
Will Smith has been in the news over the years not just because he's a versatile actor who has been able to play a variety of roles, but also because of his personal life and turbulent relationship with his wife, Jada. Their complicated relationship recently hit the news again, after Jada made public the fact that the couple refuses to divorce despite once being separated for nearly a decade.
However, this is not the first time that Will Smith became entangled with and then rejected by one of the actresses he was trying to woo. Back when he was the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, his co-star wasn't impressed with his advances.
Will Smith Has Been Married Twice
Will Smith's current marriage is his second marriage. His first was to fellow actor Sheree Zampino in 1992. Will met Sheree on the set of A Different World only three months before their nuptials. They have a son, Willard Carroll Trey Smith III, and divorced three years later.
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Will Smith has been married to Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997, although earlier this month the actress stated that they have been separated since 2016. However, it is unclear whether the couple will divorce or are likely to get back together.
Will has had a fair share of affairs during both his marriages, as well. They may have come about because he launched into his relationships impulsively, including his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, who claimed that she felt "pressured" to marry him in 2018.
"I was under so much pressure," she said. "You know, being a young actress... I was pregnant, and I just didn't know what to do. I never wanted to be married."
Alongside the fact that they had an open marriage, and both had been rumored to stray, it's no surprise to fans that the relationship has been rocky.
Will Smith Starred Alongside Karyn Parsons In The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Karyn Parsons played Will Smith's cousin, Hilary Banks, in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It was the first time the actress got a starring role in a project. Will didn't have any acting experience either, and still cringes when he remembers his early performance in the show.
In the show, which was inspired by Will's real life, the two did a lot of scenes together, which led to them developing a great friendship, initially.
Much like the time when Will had a crush on Halle Berry, he fell for Karyn and tried to jokingly point out to her that they weren't cousins in real life so she should consider dating him if she was interested.
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However, the actress, who didn't want to ruin her first acting break, would have none of it. As they went their separate ways, Will ended up meeting his first wife, and Karyn pursued her acting career.
As for her personal life, Karyn has been married to director Alexandre Rockwell since 2003. The couple have two children. While she still remembers her time on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fondly, she has definitely moved on.
Karyn Parsons Rejected Will Smith Because She Didn't Want Their Professional Relationship To Suffer
In his memoir, Will, the actor discussed his relationship with Karyn, among a lot of other subjects, particularly his family relationships.
“Not only did Karyn beat out a slew of Hollywood big hitters to win her role, but she was smart enough to tell me ‘hell no’ when I tried to explain we were not really cousins, so it would be fine if we dated,” the actor wrote in his memoir.
He told her “I swear it won’t mess up our working relationship," he recalls in the book. However, Karyn was too wise to fall for that.
"She knew better than that – good call, K.P.,” Will concluded.
For her part, although she rejected Will Smith's advances while they worked together, Karyn Parsons only has good things to say about her co-star. When asked what she thought about him in 2019, she praised his personality.
"He's got charisma like crazy. He's just incredibly charismatic, so bright, very smart and quick-witted and funny," the actress said at the time.
She continued to pour in the praise, saying, "He's just natural, I mean, it's just him. People always say 'What's it like [to work with Will Smith]?' It's exactly what you see. That's Will. He's very smart, very funny, very engaged at all times. It's infectious, whatever he's feeling or doing."
She continued by saying that it was both a surprise and not quite a surprise for her that he became a star.
"He's very magnanimous, loving, and just great energy," she concluded.
Falling for Karyn wasn't the first time Will tried to date one of his co-stars. During his first marriage, he also fell in love with his Six Degrees of Separation co-star Stockard Channing, which he blamed on trying method-acting at the time.
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