Jada Smith: Chris Rock asked me out before 2022 Oscar slap

Jada Pinkett Smith says Chris Rock asked her out on a date amidst rumors that she and Will Smith were divorcing.

In an interview with People magazine, Jada made this surprising revelation a year after Will struck Chris live on stage at the 2020 Oscars.

This was after Will made a joke about the actress's shaped head. She lives with a disease called alopecia.

“I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I'd love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren't you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that,” Jada said.

Jada has further revealed that she has not spoken to Chris Rock since the night where she watched her husband slap Chris, and she is optimistic about a resolution.

“[Do I have] any desire to talk to Chris? Here's my desire: I just hope that all the misunderstanding around this can be cleared up and that there can be peace,” Jada said.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Jada revealed that she split from actor and musician Will in 2016 and have been living separate lives. 

However, she said the two have not legally divorced and when asked why the two are yet to file for a divorce from each other, Jada said she had made a promise that there would never be a reason for them to get a divorce as they would work through whatever came their way. 

"I haven't been able to break that promise, we, however, live separately," she noted. 

"We've been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got a deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us."

Jada and Will have been married for 23 years since 1997.

Following the Oscar, he posted a YouTube video apologizing for striking presenter Chris Rock during the live TV broadcast of the 2020 Academy Awards ceremony.

"Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk. There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There's no part of me that thinks that's the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults,” Will said.

He also resigned from the Academy.