Real-Life Celebrity Couple: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been at the top of the Hollywood scene for decades, but their marriage makes them one of the very few celebrity couples to stay together for more than 20 years.

While there’s no doubt they have a very Hollywood family, the couple has always been open about the ups and downs in their relationship. From how they first met to their intimate wedding, here’s more about the celebrity couple.

How Did Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Meet?

The pair first met when she auditioned for the role of Lisa Wilkes, the girlfriend of Smith’s character in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air back in 1994. Though Pinkett Smith didn’t get the role — the casting director thought she was too short for the part — the two had an instant connection.

Jada Never Thought She’d Get Married
Prior to meeting Smith, Pinkett Smith never thought about getting married and truly believed she’d be a single mother. She revealed these details during a 2016 interview with VH1 and explained it was her childhood that made her believe she’d never have a partner to have children with. Of course that all changed once she fell in love with Smith.

Secret Ceremony
After meeting on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the couple fell in love and decided to tie the knot in a very private ceremony on December 31, 1997 at The Cloisters, a mansion in Baltimore, Maryland. They had 100 people in attendance and the wedding happened just over a month after Smith proposed.

Over 20 Years Together

The couple has been going strong for almost 22 years and continually celebrate their marriage through every major milestone. For their 20th anniversary, Smith took to Instagram to reveal what her love has taught him.

“Love is Like Gardening… I have learned to focus on HELPING you to BLOSSOM into what YOU want to be (into what you were born to be)… Rather than Demanding that you become what my Fragile Ego needs you to be,” he wrote in the caption.

Raising Children in the Business
Pinkett Smith was pregnant with their first son, actor Jaden, when they tied the knot, and he was born in 1998. Their second child, daughter Willow, was born in 2000. Smith’s first son from a previous relationship, Trey, was born on November 11, 1992.