Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been separated since 2016, she says

Jada Pinkett Smith says she and her husband, Will Smith, have lived "completely separate lives" since 2016.

In an interview clip released by the Todayshow on NBC, Pinkett Smith says although it's not a legal divorce, it is essentially a divorce without papers. The couple, both actors, married in 1997.

They share two children, Willow and Jaden, as well as a son, Trey, from Smith's first marriage.

The news of their separation comes as a surprise to many, especially considering Pinkett Smith's candour in her Red Table Talkseries.

In one episode, she and her husband discussed her 2020 extramarital affair and Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.

In a new interview with People magazine, Pinkett Smith says she initially thought the slap was part of a skit.

The full Todayinterview will air on an hour-long NBCNews special on Friday.