Infidelity bombshells, Tupac talk and Jordyn Woods' tears all made Red Table Talk must-see TV.
2019 was a massive year for Jada Pinkett Smith and "Red Table Talk," which dropped another full season of episodes and nearly broke the internet with one of them.
The Facebook Watch talk show made headlines everywhere when Jordyn Woods sat down at the eponymous piece of furniture in March, breaking her silence after finding herself in the middle of a cheating scandal with Khloe Kardashian's then-boyfriend Tristan Thompson.
But that was hardly the only episode to make an impact. Throughout the year, Jada, mom Adrienne Banfield-Jones and daughter Willow Smith tackled everything from porn to polyamory, sharing personal stories and insight along the way.
Here are 15 episodes that really had everyone talking.
Surviving R. Kelly
In a special edition of "Red Table Talk," titled "Surviving R. Kelly: The Aftermath," the trio discussed the disturbing, yet eye-opening Lifetime documentary "Surviving R. Kelly," in which many women alleged traumatizing experiences with the R&B singer.
"I have to tell you, I felt a lot of things," said Jada after watching. "I had a lot of feelings about it. One being, I was like 'Man, wow how complicit we all have been?' That really broke my heart, like to really think about. We, we ignored it."
Both Jada and Willow regret that they didn't realize the severity of Kelly's controversial history of alleged sexual misconduct. Jada admitted that it "slipped under [her] radar" when Will used Kelly's hit "I Believe (I Can Fly)" on Instagram while bungee jumping out of a helicopter in September 2018.
"That just goes to show you...see how things will fly under our radar?" Jada said. "You'll forget but that's how we're all complicit because guess what, how can you forget? How can you forget?"
"You can't forget," she continued. "That's why we should all have screamed from the rafters."
Jordyn Woods
With 33 million views, this episode was the Super Bowl of Red Table Talks. Sharing her side for the first time since the scandal broke, Woods denied flirting with Tristan at a party Khloe didn't attend.
"Never once was I giving him a lap dance, making out with him, sitting all over him," Jordyn adamantly declared. "We're all together, in a group, never once did we leave the public area, go to a bedroom, go to a bathroom. We're all in plain sight."
Woods added that Thompson never made any moves on her during the party, saying it was just "an innocent time," but also takes "full responsibility" for putting herself in a situation where people would think something more happened. Kylie's former best friend said she always had someone else by her side all night and was never alone with Thompson.
"I allowed myself to be in this position. I allowed myself to be there and I never was belligerently drunk to where I can't remember what happened," she explained. "I was never blacked out. There was alcohol involved. I was drunk. I was not tipsy, I was drunk, but I was not beyond the point of recollection. I know where I was. But on the way out, he did kiss me. It's just no passion, no nothing on the way out, he just kissed me. It was like a kiss on the lips, no tongue kiss, no making out, nothing."
"I'm no home wrecker. I would never try to hurt someone's home, especially someone that I love, someone who has a beautiful daughter," she added. Woods also said received comments wishing death upon her or telling her that her "father deserved to die." She said, "I may have done something wrong, but whatever I did, I don't think I deserve this.
Pornography
Right off the bat in the titillating conversation about pornography, Willow said she's "down for the expensive looking stuff ... if it's artsy!" with her grandmother replying by saying, "I guess I'm not looking at the right stuff."
"If I was still on my porn game, I would be able to show you some good porn," Jada then revealed, adding, "Back in the day, I had a little porn addiction. But I wasn't in a relationship when I had a porn addiction, believe it or not."
Later in the episode, Smith opened up a little bit more about her "unhealthy relationship to porn," at a time in her life, saying it came when she was "trying to practice abstinence."
She added: "It was filling an emptiness, at least you think it is, but it's actually not."
Ayesha Curry
Ayesha Curry, wife of NBA star Steph Curry, got backlash when she opened up about some of the insecurity she feels as the wife of the basketball superstar. She said women are constantly "throwing themselves" at him, but expressed frustration that she gets no "male attention" in return. That one clip from the show went viral, with some brutal comments thrown in Ayesha's direction.
At an event celebrating the second season of "Red Table Talk" after the episode dropped, Jada was asked how she felt "when a clip like the Ayesha Curry one is taken out of context, gone viral and used as an opportunity to bully a woman who did something really brave and wonderful at the table."
"You know, we have to expect that because everybody's not ready and that's okay, that's part of grace too, is that allowance for people who are not okay," responded Smith. "But she's okay. I talked to her and I told her, I said, you know what, that truth was so real and here's the one thing about love, it's not loud in the same way, but it's abundant. Messiness can tend to be louder, but it doesn't mean that that's what's dominant."
Ciara
Ciara may not have said his name during her appearance, but ex Future was definitely a topic of conversation as she spoke about being a single mother when the two split after welcoming a son together.
"I would have moments, I'd be in the shower, crying," Ciara said to Jada on the Facebook Watch series. "I'd be crying because I am not in the happiest place and it hurts what I'm going through."
Despite some of the bad times in her past, Ciara said she wouldn't give them up for the world. "If I wouldn't have gone through those things, I may not have appreciated the man I have in my life, I may not have appreciated when it is really going good and everything's falling in place," she said. "You need those roller coaster rides."
Infidelity
While Jada said she and Will have always been faithful with each other, she still has experience with cheating in her past.
"I had a really interesting experience when I was younger. I had two relationships before Will that were kind of serious to me, where I got cheated on, which really broke my heart," she explained on the infidelity episode.
"And then I cheated on somebody I really cared about and let me tell you, me cheating on someone was more devastating than being cheated on," she explained. "It actually taught me to forgive when I got cheated on because I understood and what I understood most is that it didn't have anything to do with me. When I had to look at myself and why I did it, I realized it had nothing to do with my partner, at all."
"I'm asked a lot about, is there infidelity with your relationship with Will and I'm like, no, but there have been other betrayals of the heart that have been far bigger than I could even think in regards to an infidelity situation," Smith continued. "When you talk about contempt, resentment, neglect, it can just tear your world apart."
Jada has been very open in past episodes about how her relationship with Smith evolved overtime, including how they had to rebuild their marriage from scratch after some very low lows.
Polyamory
Willow laid out why the idea of polyamory is appealing to her in an episode all about the subject.
Talking about the "insecurity and fear" that comes with being in a monogamous relationship, Smith said those are issues "we need to evolve out of and transmute into something new and different." She went on to say she finds the concepts of marriage and monogamy "steeped in this idea of ownership," and adding that they can be oppressive to women.
"Monogamy, I feel -- and this is just for me -- I feel actually inhibits you from learning those skills of evolving past those feelings of insecurity," she continued. "That feeling of 'Oh, no, you can't do this... if you were to do this, the world would crumble on both sides.' There's just no freedom, it's all fear based."
Gam, however, admitted the idea of polyamory was "off-putting" to her. When asked how she'd feel if Willow were to enter into a throuple, she added, "I would not be excited about that." She continued, "I would not. It doesn't sit well with me. It doesn't sit well with me because I feel like I don't understand this 'emotional commitment.' At the end of the day, I don't feel like that's what it's really about. In my mind, I'm feeling like they're just trying to enjoy sexual relationships with other people. Just call it what it is."
Willow noted she would be interested in being in a throuple, specifically one with both a man and another woman. "I really couldn't see myself in a quadruple," she said, "but personally, male and female, that's all I need. One of each."
Will Smith's Emergency Meeting
Will Smith called an emergency meeting for one episode, as he started an initiative to get the whole family's health back on track.
Talking about one of the family's recent vacations together, Will revealed he spent most of their trip throwing back muffins and drinking Moscow Mules. "They started calling me 'Pudge Muffin,'" said the actor, who revealed he got up to 225 pounds during the trip -- "the most I had weighed in my adult life."
According to Will, he didn't even weigh that much when he packed on the muscle for "Ali," where he topped out at 223 pounds. "I don't wanna be a pudge muffin to my family. I didn't like being 225. I've never been 225 and I've lived most of my adult life and, certainly my professional career, in brilliant, muscular condition," he continued, "So I came home and was like, that's it, okay Will, back in your disciplined mind."
Speaking about their son Jaden, Jada admitted she and Will needed to have "a bit of an intervention" with him after he looked like he was "wasting away" when he adopted a vegetarian lifestyle. While Will said they were both "really nervous" for a minute there, they agreed he's "looking better" now.
The episode ended with the entire family agreeing to undergo a series of medical tests to get a better understanding of their overall health. The results have yet to be revealed.
Chelsea Handler
White privilege was the topic of the day when Chelsea Handler stopped by the show. During her appearance, she admitted her entire career was something women of color simply would not be able to get away with.
"You know that when you look at your life and looked at being rewarded -- even in Hollywood -- for my bad behavior, which was considered bad but I was being rewarded. A black girl would never have gotten her own show for telling celebrities how stupid they were," she said.
After Jada asked her to share something that "really describes white privilege," Handler revealed a problematic tale with the two women she considered "a learning point" for her. "This Black woman was standing up singing a song and I went up to her and said, 'Oh my god that was beautiful,' and I slapped her on the butt," said Handler. Both Jada and her mother reacted with expressions of horror.
"I'm shocked and appalled right now," exclaimed Adrienne. "And so was she," added Handler, "She said, 'Black women have been defined by their hair and their asses for ages. You have no right to touch my body.'"
"This is just such classic white privilege right here," responded Adrienne. "It's a total unawareness that for me and my generation, that we are very, very impatient now. While you're asking me to be compassionate, I'm like, girl, bye with that shit."
"It is so up to white people to fix this problem," said Handler. "I understand that you're fed up, I would be too."
Alicia Keys
Neither Jada or Adrienne could hide their emotion after Keys explaining the backstory for "Like You'll Never See Me Again," before playing it for them. The song came up as Keys was asked to share some of the best advice she'd ever received in her life.
"[It probably came] from my amazing grandmother. When she was dying, she lived with me and it was amazing because all my life she had taken care of me and she was so elegant and strong and fierce and sincere," said Keys. "I knew I wasn't going to have her much longer and I started thinking about mortality a lot. When I wrote this song, a lot of people thought it was about a love of a boyfriend or a man, but this was really about my love for her."
"She taught me to cherish the moments and she also taught me that if things weren't happening the way you thought they were supposed to happen, that was okay," she added, as both the story and performance moved Jada and her mother.
Demi Moore's Daughters Speak
Demi Moore was joined by two of her daughters -- Rumer Willis, 31, and Tallulah, 25 -- to speak about the actress' struggles with alcohol and drug abuse. Moore recently opened up about her lifelong battle in her memoir "Inside Out," in which she took a look back at her life in an effort to figure out how she got to her lowest point: being totally cut off from her family and loved ones after an overdose in 2012.
Rumer recalled feeling "angry" a lot of the time her mother was with ex Ashton Kutcher, because "something that was mine had been taken away." She said she often felt like she and her sisters "were not enough" for her, and that's why she wanted another child. "I literally was like, 'Why are you so desperate to have another kid?'" she said.
"Watching the behavior with Ashton, those years, everyone left the house and it was just me living there. I felt very forgotten," added Tallulah. "I nurtured a narrative that she didn't love me and I truly believed it."
In January 2012, Moore had an adverse reaction to whip-its at a party and was hospitalized, Rumer was there when it happened.
"I was there, in the other room, with 911 panicking because I'm like, either my mom's going to die and I'm not gonna be in the room I'm gonna feel the guilt of that for the rest of my life, or I'm going to be there and see this image of my mom that I'll never get out of my head," she remembered thinking. "Or I'm going to have to call my sisters in the morning and tell them my mom died and they're never going to talk to her again."
Jada Apologizes to Willow
During the conversation with Demi and her daughters, Jada and Willow had a cathartic moment of their own. The discussion led to an examination of vulnerability, as Moore said she hid that side of her from her daughters.
Jada could relate.
"Willow had a moment not too long ago, when you had that upset and you were crying on the couch and I just came to you and held you and I said to myself, I wish I had done this more to her," recalled Smith. "When you can just hold your little girl, have her tears, have her pain."
"There's this wall, this armor and I was thinking about how it does a disservice to everybody we love, including ourselves," she said. Then, looking at Willow, she added, "I want to just take a moment and say to you, I'm sorry." She then gave her a hug, causing Rumer to tear up.
Tommy Davidson
Tommy Davidson's visit led to an emotional moment between Jada and her mother as the group spoke openly about drug addiction. Davidson said director Spike Lee, Jada and her own mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris, were all there to support him when he needed it most.
"You say mom saved your life," recalled Jada, "I called you and said, 'What the hell's going on with you?'"
She said she then gave the phone to her mother, a recovering addict herself. "I just came in with reinforcement," said Gam. "By that time you had already been exposed to the program."
"I had been, but it's a process, it's something that had to take its hold," said Davidson. "I just want to thank you, that saved my life and that was one of the many things that happened that are the reason why I'm here."
"What has been really painful for me in our journey, is to see Jada's relationship with her children and realize all that she missed with me," Adrienne then said, as Jada began tearing up next to her. "That has been extremely, extremely painful for me. I'm happy for it and I'm so proud of her ... and the loss is just as much mine as it is yours. It's difficult."
"I hope for you that there will be an opening in some way to really have a deep healing with your kids," said a choked up Jada to Tommy. Added Gam, "I think we still struggle. It's such a process and I don't think it, unfortunately, ever ends."
Robyn Crawford
Jada found herself fighting back tears as she and Robyn Crawford -- Whitney Houston's alleged lover -- compared notes about having love for someone who's struggling in the spotlight.
"When you said [the book is] a love letter to Whitney, that resonated as so powerful," Smith told her guest. "It was so healing for me in so many different ways. It's hard to live someone who has had a legacy at the level she has had and then to lose them under tragic circumstances. I have a very similar situation."
While Whitney and Robyn were allegedly intimate with each other, that wasn't the case for Jada and the late rapper. Even so, as Crawford spoke about Houston's possessiveness after they stopped being romantic with each other, Smith could relate.
"That I understood, because of the complex relationship I've had with Pac in those moments of his, 'Who's that?!,' knowing damn well there ain't nothing like that between us," Jada said. "Him feeling like, 'You're the only stability I got, I can't afford for you to put that attention elsewhere.' For him, it was, we were an anchor for each other. Anytime he felt like that anchor was threatened, oh my God."
She also related to Robyn walking away from working with Whitney when the singer's life got messy. "I know the depths of my struggle, having to do it as well," Jada told her, nearly breaking down as she spoke.
Source: toofab.com
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