Trending on social media is a double-edged sword, especially for celebrities. While it can give them the publicity they need to keep their name in people’s minds, it can also backfire in disastrous ways.
The latter seems to be the case with actor Will Smith’s recent appearance on the online show, ‘Red Table Talk’, which is hosted by his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Viral Guesting
Tinseltown/Shutterstock – The Smiths are one of the most admired couples in Hollywood
The episode featuring the ‘Aladdin’ star was reportedly watched a whopping 15.4 million times just a day after it was uploaded on Facebook Watch. Days later, the controversial episode has been watched over 25 million times.
So, why did so many people tune in to this particular episode of the show? Well, it’s all because of the current scandal that the Hollywood couple has found themselves in.
On ‘Red Table Talk’, Pinkett-Smith typically talks about many controversial and uncomfortable topics from parenting troubles to affairs. She often brings in celebrity guests but usually has her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris join her in the conversation.
The recent episode with Will Smith is no exception.
The Entanglement
It saw Smith and his wife address the current marital issues they’ve had to face publicly. It centered around what has been described as an ‘entanglement’ between Pinkett-Smith and the rapper August Alsina.
The affair reportedly happened while the Smiths were temporarily separated years ago. The secret was uncovered when the 27-year-old musician decided to go public with his past relationship with the 48-year-old actress.
Alsina claimed that he got permission from Smith to pursue a romantic relationship with his wife. This has since been denied by Pinkett-Smith.
As can be expected, the whole situation has caught the interest of many. This led the Smiths and Alsina to trend online before and following the ‘Red Table Talk’ episode where the couple faced the controversy.
Talk of the Town
Unfortunately, Smith became the butt of online jokes. A screenshot of him seemingly becoming emotional during the one-on-one talk with his wife is now being used by netizens as a meme.
While there were many who had no problem dissing the 51-year-old actor, there are also those who pointed out how harmful the jokes have been to Smith’s mental health.
The topic also opened a discussion about how society often doesn’t take men’s mental health seriously.
