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Jada Pinkett Smith Explains Why She and Will Prefer the Term 'Life Partners' to 'Being Married'
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Love Stories

Jada Pinkett Smith Explains Why She and Will Prefer the Term 'Life Partners' to 'Being Married'

This past July, Will Smith surprised the world on TIDAL's Rap Radar podcast when he announced that he and wife Jada Pinkett Smith prefer to refer to themselves as "life partners" instead of "being married."

"I needed a different form to dissolve all the expectations that I had of a marriage," Jada, 47, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. "I needed to do that to see Will outside of husband and see him as a human being."


It's no secret that Jada and Will take a different approach to marriage. The parents of three celebrated 20 years of marriage last December and continue to surprise us with their fresh perspective on what love can look like.

RELATED: Will Smith’s Sweet Message for Jada Pinkett Smith Offers Key Lesson in Making a Relationship Last

"We have all these expectations," she says. "’Oh, this is what a husband is. This is what a wife is.’ I started dissolving all the ideas and expectations and labels."

Will, 50, will be the next guest on Jada's Facebook Watch show when it returns next Monday, a teaser from the upcoming episode reveals how real he gets when discuss their unique relationship.

"Will comes on the show for two episodes, and we talk about redefining our relationship, going from calling ourselves married to becoming life partners," she tells PEOPLE. "I felt like there was a way to speak about that that was open and transparent. But there are still aspects that are private!"

RELATED: 5 Little Ways to Express Gratitude in a Long-Term Relationship

Red Table Talk comes back to Facebook on October 22. You can bet we'll be tuning in to hear more about what Will and Jada have to say about their inspiring dynamic as a couple.

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