Jada Pinkett Smith Claims Will Smith's Infamous Oscar Slap 'Saved' Their Marriage: 'I Will Never Leave Him'

Did Will Smith’s Oscars slap mend his relationship with estranged wife Jada Pinkett Smith?

In an interview published on Saturday, December 9, the actress, who recently revealed she and Will have been separated for seven years, shared the infamous physical altercation “saved” the duo’s marriage.

“I nearly didn’t even attend the Oscars that year, but I’m glad I did,” she said of the night, where the King Richard alum hit host Chris Rock for making a joke at Jada’s expense. “I call it the ‘holy slap’ now because so many positive things came after it.”

“That moment of the s--- hitting the fan is when you see where you really are,” she explained. “After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will’s side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him. Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?”

As OK! previously reported, the new interview came after a source shared Jada and Will — who share children Willow Smith, 23, and Jaden Smith, 25 — both do not want to get a divorce.

"It’s been so difficult for Will to stand by and hear all the things Jada’s been saying about him and their relationship," the insider spilled, referencing all the details Jada shared about their relationship in her new memoir, Worthy.

"A part of Will wanted to believe they could work it out," they said of the 55-year-old. "Jada wrote in her tell-all that they were ‘basically broken up,’ but Will didn’t see it that way. No, they were giving each other space and figuring things out."

"Will loves Jada very much. Neither one of them wants a divorce," the source continued. "Right now, they’re both just trying to make sense of the mess that their marriage has become."

Another insider also revealed that the actor’s kids "feel bad for their dad with all the recent headlines about their parents."

"They know he has been going through a lot lately and this isn't helping," the source noted of Will's children, which also includes Trey Smith, whom he shares with ex-wife Sheree Zampino. "They wish some of their family's private matters remained private."

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During this complicated time for the brood, Will is apparently "trying to stay busy and has been hanging out with his good friends and his kids."

"He's trying not to let any outside noise impact him," the source continued. "Will loves Jada and feels like he has always had her back and always will. He has been trying to be supportive, while also taking care of himself."

Daily Mail interviewed Jada.