Why Joshua Jackson & Wife Jodie Turner-Smith Don't Want Their Biracial Children Growing Up in the U.S.

Click here to read the full article.

Uncertainty is an inherent part of becoming a parent, but there are some things no one should have to worry about. Case in point? Jodie Turner-Smith says she and Joshua Jackson don’t intend to raise their kids in the United States — and the reason why is heartbreaking. The pregnant Queen & Slim star shared that she and her rumored husband are considering a move to somewhere like Canada, where bigotry and violence don’t seem to be such growing concerns.

Turner-Smith opened up about the possibility of making a parenting-inspired move abroad in an interview with the Sunday Times published over the weekend. “The racial dynamics over here are fraught. White supremacy is overt. It’s the reason I don’t want to raise my kids here,” she admitted, then alluding to the active shooter epidemic, saying, “I don’t want my kids to grow up doing active shooter drills at school.”

More from SheKnows

• Maren Morris Had a Perfectly Good Reason to Skip the 2020 Grammys

• You'll Want to Hear Kelly Ripa's Marriage Advice, It's Spot-On

• Amy Schumer's Ex-Boyfriend Just Revealed He (Currently) Lives With Her & Her Husband

When asked where she and Jackson might plant roots, she pointed out that there’s one place they aren’t looking right now: England, where she spent her youth. “England has gone off the rails, so I was thinking maybe Canada,” she told the Times. This seems like a fitting choice given the fact Jackson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.”

In the interview, Turner-Smith — whose parents are Jamaican — discussed her own isolating experience growing up as the only black children in the family’s Peterborough, England, school. So, when her parents split and she and her brother and half-sister moved with their mom to Maryland, Turner-Smith couldn’t wait to finally feel like she belonged. Only, things sadly didn’t pan out that way. “I was really excited when I came to America about meeting black people. But it was a huge culture shock because I was rejected by the black community,” she said. “They were like, ‘You talk like a white girl.’ People would call me an Oreo. All I wanted was acceptance.”

In an attempt to fit in, Turner-Smith revealed she “would practice in the mirror, talking in a way that I thought was like the black American: cutting you down with my words in five seconds if you came for me.”

And while it would be lovely to be able to say race was a non-issue for Turner-Smith today, she experienced another sort of rejection when news broke about her relationship with Jackson. “There was this wave of people who were upset that I was possibly married to a white man. In America, interracial dating or marriage is not something that is as accepted. Certain people feel strongly against it, in both communities. I felt it from the black community. It is so complicated,” she told the Times.

She does her best not to let it affect her too much, saying, “I don’t want to give it too much energy. The horrific things that people were saying, it makes you… I’m learning there are certain things I have to really keep for myself.”

And really, who could blame her? Turner-Smith’s feelings are valid. Her concerns are valid. Fortunately, the only person whose opinion she really puts stock in is on the same page as her. Of Jackson, she gushed, “We are obsessed with each other.” She even fessed up to going back and rewatching his movies when he’s away. “I do it whenever we’re apart because I miss him so much. He loves that I’m obsessed with him.”

Wherever these two land, this much is sure: They’re going to make such sweet parents!

Best of SheKnows

• All the Non-Holiday Winter Movies You Should Be Watching Right Now

• 11 Female Film Characters Who Made an Impact in 2018

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.