Jada Pinkett Smith's Ex Revealed the Affair Because Rumors Made Him Look 'Disrespectful' to Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith shocked fans everywhere this summer when she came forward about a years-long “entanglement” with singer August Alsina, which happened after she and husband Will Smith decided to take a break from their marriage. But before that, Alsina himself shocked Pinkett’s fans by breaking the news — and it was only Alsina’s confession that ultimately forced Jada and Will to have that super-honest Red Table Talk about what really happened. While some speculated that Alsina’s reveal was a calculated move to hurt ex Jada, the truth is that the musician has had a long relationship with their family, and was reluctant to come out with the news specifically for fear of hurting any one of them. But the singer now reveals that the rumors he’d been “disrespectful” to Will Smith and their family with his actions became too much to handle, costing him business opportunities and his reputation. Jada refused to come forward, so he did instead.

Alsina clarified that he never wanted his personal life in the news if he could avoid it, but stories about him and Jada were starting to affect how people saw him, and even his ability to earn a living.

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“I never really cared about what people thought of me, but my personal life started to seep into my business life. There were certain falsities about me, and it affected my business relationships,” he told People. “I could understand why it would look like I’m reckless or disrespectful so it really started to affect my livelihood, and I’m never okay with that.”

When Alsina came forward in June, he was sure to emphasize that point first and foremost: that he had never acted in bad faith or from a place of disrespect when it came to Will and Jada’s marriage and family. He said that Will had given his “blessing” for his relationship with Jada, which the Smiths later clarified as meaning Will and Jada were separated and seeing other people at the time.

Alsina isn’t in quite the same sphere of celebrity as Will and Jada, meaning he was much more likely to be impacted by these harmful rumors than they were, and we can understand why continuing to ignore them for Jada’s sake was no longer feasible. We only wish Alsina had been invited to the Red Table too.

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