On the latest episode of Facebook Watch’s popular series, Red Table Talk, co-hosts Jada Pinkett-Smith and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, aka Gammy, sat down with Academy Award-winning actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow for a conversation on all things sex and sexual wellness.
Per People, the trio, who were briefly joined by a remote Willow, touched on the Paltrow’s new Netflix series Sex, Love, & Goop and the important role communication plays when it comes to sex and intimacy with your partner and the barriers we face that keep us from sharing our sexual wants and needs.
Never one to shy away from sharing, Pinkett-Smith revealed how she struggled with communications about sex early on in her marriage to hubby Will Smith.
“The thing that Will and I talk about a lot is the journey,” Pinkett-Smith said. “I mean, we started in this at a very young age, you know? 22 years old. I think that’s why the accountability part really hit for me because I think you expect your partner to know, especially when it comes to sex. It’s like ‘well if you love me, you should know [what I need].’ You know what I mean? ‘If you love me, you should read my mind.’ That’s a huge pitfall.”
Having admitted to eventually growing out of that line of thinking after over 20 years of marriage, she added: “You tell me what you need. Tell me what you want, and on top of it, I know that I have to be accountable to do the same...I really try. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s deeply healthy, and I think around sex, because it’s something that we don’t talk about a lot, and there’s so much fantasy around it.”
Though her honesty was presumably appreciated at the red table, the Gotham star later took to Twitter to clarify her comments, writing: “Only because I got time today. Stop making up headlines. Watch the @RedTableTalk I did with @GwynethPaltrow for yourselves. Will and I have NEVER had an issue in the bedroom. Thank you.”
The Smiths’ marriage has been a hot topic for many for years now. Last year, the news of Jada’s past “entanglement” with singer August Alsina shook the table and the Twittersphere. Back in September of this year, Will revealed how unconventional their marriage was during an interview with GQ, saying in part:
“We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison. And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”