Jada Pinkett Smith is opening up about how the now-infamous Will Smith Oscars slap helped strengthen her marriage. In a recent interview, Pinkett Smith said she nearly skipped the 2022 Academy Awards, but is glad she attended.

When Chris Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, her eye roll prompted Smith to slap Rock on stage. Pinkett Smith now calls the incident her “holy slap” because of the positive changes that followed.

The public scandal came amid private turmoil for the Hollywood power couple. Pinkett Smith revealed in her memoir that she and Smith separated six years before the Oscars. She also admitted an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina during this time.

Pinkett Smith says seeing “where she really was” after the media firestorm is what made her realize she would never leave Smith’s side. Their 30-year marriage was in crisis until that shocking moment refocused their relationship.

“That moment of the s*** hitting the fan is when you see where you really are” she reflected. “After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will’s side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him. Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?”

While promoting her memoir, Pinkett Smith firmly states she isn’t discussing Smith’s journey. But she did address her past relationship to confront rumors spread by her “entanglee.”

Through it all, Pinkett Smith says the public scandal and self-reflection it created has now reset her marriage to Smith in a positive way.