Will Smith fans criticized his wife, Jada Pinkett, for an alleged toxic gesture she made toward the actor while signing autographs for fans in Paris this week.
The couple, who split in 2016 but continue to navigate an unconventional “life partnership,” traveled to France along with their family to support their 27-year-old son, Jaden, during fashion week.
However, public attention quickly shifted away from the runway after a video captured outside a local hotel went viral online, sparking fierce debate over Pinkett’s behavior toward her husband.
The widely shared clip shows the family heading towards a waiting vehicle before the Oscar winner, 57, stops to greet a massive crowd of waiting fans.
A somber-looking Pinkett, 54, can be seen walking directly behind Smith and holding onto his arm, placing her hand on his back before walking past him and quickly walking away in the complete opposite direction.
Then he smiled and turned briefly as photographers shouted his name.
The footage was uploaded online with a caption claiming that Jada Pinkett pushed Will Smith aside while he was signing autographs for fans and walked away as if he were a complete stranger.
The social media comments section quickly erupted with furious reactions from Smith’s supporters, who criticized his actions as unnecessarily harsh.
One frustrated fan questioned “what secret she has from Will that has made him stay with her,” calling her a woman who “hates him.”
Others labeled the incident as loser behavior and pointed out the irony of the situation, with one user writing that he slapped a close friend on stage for her, referencing the Chris Rock incident.
Another commenter bluntly summarized marriage as toxic, stating that if you don’t respect your spouse then you should just move on, while another fan suggested that she hates that he gets all the attention.
Not everyone interpreted the viral interaction so negatively, as several online users were quick to defend Pinkett from the wave of backlash. A defender argued that she simply touched him as she passed as a recognition, insisting there was no pushing involved.
Other fans argued that no woman could hate that guy because he has a big heart.
Another person shut down the claims entirely, stating that she didn’t push him aside at all, nor did she ignore him like a stranger, noting that she was simply following her daughter as they made their way through the crowd.
