Will Smith Admits To Open Marriage – Or Did He?

Black Celebrity Marriages

by Ronnie Tyler | on July 11th, 2008 | 19 comments

The blogosphere (and urban radio – we heard it on the Michael Baisden show today) is on fire with wild rumors and speculation that Will Smith finally admitted to having an open marriage with Jada but…. did he really? Will had an interview where he opened up about some things with a magazine in the UK. You can check out what he said by clicking here.

Now all I saw him say was that they discuss who’s attractive but thats no open marriage. Now it does go on to say “he’ll tell Jada – and she’ll tell him – if they ever feel the need to have sex with others.” And they’ll have the option to approve or not. He also added at the end he wouldn’t know how he’d feel if she stepped to him and told him she wanted to get with someone else.

I didn’t actually read anywhere where it said that they have an open marriage, that they’ve done this in the past or have definite plans to do it in the future. I know everyone wants to believe the rumors but until it comes out of one of their mouths it’s just rampant speculation.

BMWK family do you believe this or not?

About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and their latest documentary Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.

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Comments (19)

Nicole Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

In my opinion these two statements below cleary say they have an open marriage. Giving appoval means its im accepting and agree that its okay to sleep with someone else. What more do you need? Now it does go on to say “he’ll tell Jada - and she’ll tell him - if they ever feel the need to have sex with others.” And they’ll have the option to approve or not.
Smooth Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

We all know that a brother can/will have an open marriage but when his Queen has one, he is truly hurt...so why go there....what's good for the goose is NOT good for the gander
TheDad Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

@Smooth - I picked up on that one also. I also think this is how most men who claim to want an open marriage would feel. @ Nicole- 1. He presents it as if it hasn't happened yet (could just be wishful thinking on his part, us men have been known to do that) 2. I haven't seen Jada say she approves of anything LOL
Anonymous Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

Maybe they are swingers
TheMom Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

Now that this rumor is circulating, I would love to hear Jada's position on this open marriage topic. I have been searching the web on this topic and I really do not know what to believe....I really can't tell if they have an open marriage or not. But I am wondering, why does Will feel the need to talk about this anyway. Even if they have an open marriage, why tell everyone? I mean they have kids that are are also in the media ( as they are actors too.) So why put something like this out there? I think that he is talking about it because it justifies his actions. He seems to be a big flrit. And maybe he is not acting like a married man when he is shooting a movie or promoting a movie. Saying you have an open marriage makes you less of a bad guy. It's like my wife agrees with this. Anyway, this is just speculation on my part.
Mrs. D Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

No where in this article did Will say that they have an open marriage. He is saying that they openly comment on the attractiveness of other people. The man got married, he is not blind and I applaud them for having a healthy enough relationship that they can say how gorgeous someone is without fear of a fall out. I understand what he is saying. He is saying if he ever got to the point that he wanted to sleep with someone else, he would be have enough integrity to let his wife know that he is having those feelings. Now whether she approves or not is a different post. Now, not knowing how he would react if she approached him with the same itch, sounds like almost every man I know. They can step out, but will lose their minds if she did. Guys, I think what they are really saying here is that their relationship is healthy enough to discuss desires whether they be fulfilled or not. Being able to discuss things like this helps you to get to know your partner and it also helps you to understand what frame of mind your partner may be at that particular stage of the relationship. For example, a friend of ours wrote his wife a letter and told her that he was mentally ready to have sex with another woman. He wanted her to know that he was needing some things in their marriage that used to be but had been going unmet. She was a wise woman; she discussed with him their issues and took action to put a stop to the temptation of “stepping out”. How many of us wish we had a man with enough character and integrity to come to us with what’s really going on inside of him? Most of us couldn’t handle it because we will allow pride, jealously and rage to blind us from the real issues. And why do we care about whether Will and Jada are in an open marriage? I admire that they are able to have a really partnership.
Ms. Two Cents Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

I missed the "open marriage" comment myself. Sounds liek they are just open and honest to me. Never read anywhere intehquote about swingering or if he has stepped out. Don't you think if someone had been the one to step out with Will that it would be plasterd all over someone's tabloid's? I can see now: Will Smith's Mistress Tells All! C'mon there is no story here. Ms. Two Centss last blog post..One Step Forward and Two Steps Back
Ms. Two Cents Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

horrible spellings and typos above, please read w/o TOO MUCH judgement....LOL Ms. Two Centss last blog post..One Step Forward and Two Steps Back
Anonymous Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

Yep. I definitely believe they're having an open marriage. They seem really happy, so whatever. It's their business, not mine. I read some of these other statements though. I must say, I love the reference of "Queen" given by Smooth. That's all for now.
MzM Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

It's very ambiguous commentary. You could definitely read between the lines because while he's not admitting he has an open marriage he definitely sounds like he'd entertain the idea. I definitely do not think he would be able to handle it if she even mentioned wanting to be with another man. Afterall he's "Big Willie" women fantasize about being with HIM and his wife can come along and say she wants to be with someone else. . .nah, that's probably more for any transgressions that may happen on his part. But then again maybe they are taking a page from Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee's marriage. http://marriage.about.com/od/quotes/a/ossierubyopen.htm MzMs last blog post..A Song For You
Peter Wilkins Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

Who cares. "And now for sports" Peter Wilkinss last blog post..A Guide for the Poltically Apathetic
Anna Friday - 11 / 07 / 2008 Reply

I think they share a "who would you rather" kind of relationship. I did not hear him say that they have a open relationship to have relations with someone else without approval. I sitll am not convinced that they are not "swingers" Jada always looks tired but Will always has a smile on his face. LOL.. Just my observation.
Kit (Keep It Trill) Saturday - 12 / 07 / 2008 Reply

They sound like true friends to me. Kit (Keep It Trill)s last blog post..Re-Thinking Hero Worshiping & Love
Twanna // FUNKY BROWN CHICK Sunday - 13 / 07 / 2008 Reply

Oh, yeah, that definitely sounds like an open marriage. Granted, he didn't say the words, "We're in an open marriage." But, he didn't have to because that would've been redundant -- similar to the way a man who says, "I like to have sex with men," doesn't have to say, "I'm gay (or bisexual)."
SingLikeSassy Sunday - 13 / 07 / 2008 Reply

Are we holding them up as an example of a strong black marriage that others should admire and/or emulate? If so, I can see parsing his statements 37 ways from Sunday in an effort to gauge how they keep it strong and happy. If not, why is what they do in (or outside of) their bedroom and within the confines of their marriage --which ostensibly is crafted to best suit them and their needs -- anything we should be interested in?
TheDad Sunday - 13 / 07 / 2008 Reply

We talk about them basically because people are interested in them and I actually do think a lot of people hold them up as a strong black marriage. Not me per se but some people do. I've heard how great Will and Jada are together too many times to count.
Ken Thursday - 17 / 07 / 2008 Reply

There have been many rumors floating about for years that Mr. & Mrs. Smith have had an open marriage. It is not my place to judge someone else's lifestyle choices regardless if the rumors are true or not. It is not the worst thing in the world if they do live in this manner: I personally would not do so. Will Smith is very intelligent which often is reflected in his frank honesty about a variety of issues. I do believe that complete honesty is critical in order to have a happy marriage. Once either or both individuals in a marriage start to withhold critical information, the seeds of mistrust and potentially, infidelity, are planted. Is it better to be open about attractions and affairs? I think that on the surface it seems, intellectually, that it may make sense. However, there is an emotional component that has a habit of rearing its head when a couple is in the midst of infidelity. Also, there is an issue of how the children of a marriage in which open infidelity exists may be affected emotionally and psychologically once they become aware of their parents' choice. There is a reason why most religions do not condone adultery. I believe that we are programmed, on some level, not to believe or feel that sharing our intimate emotional and physical experiences with someone other than our spouse is the right thing to do. However, there are many people who do not share the aforementioned beliefs and choose to live an alternative lifestyle. It would be very naive of me to assume that those who openly profess disapproval of an open marriage to be themselves totally faithful to their spouses. The fact remains that infidelity is rampant despite all of the potholes and stop signs warning us all to proceed with caution. My test is simple: 1. Would you want to see your Grand parent, mother or daughter in an adulterous relationship? 2. Would you be totally comfortable, right now, to have all of your sexual exploits published in a major newspaper? 3. If questioned by your child (any age), how would you explain that you were involved sexually with someone other than your spouse? If you could do the above three things and not get that knot feeling in your stomach, then perhaps you are true to your beliefs about having relationships outside of the marriage. However, if you would feel regret, perhaps you should rethink your beliefs.
Sophie Friday - 25 / 07 / 2008 Reply

If they have an open marriage, then she is getting a raw deal out of it.
mega90 Sunday - 23 / 05 / 2010 Reply

Open Marriage = Adultery with style.