Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed that she’s had difficulty dating white men because chats about race always led to the end of the relationship.
On the latest episode of “The Red Table Talk,” the host was joined by her mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones, daughter Willow and special guest, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo for a conversation about interracial dating. Pompeo, who is white, is married to Black music producer Chris Ivery and they have three children together.
“I have dated some really wonderful white men but it was interesting in that you’re dating someone who has no idea what oppression is,” Jada said.
She continued: “He’s at the top of the food chain, he doesn’t understand. It’s a very hard thing for him to be able to relate to. It was always the factor in the relationship that made it break.”
I wanna thank @ellenpompeo for blessing the table this week with such a candid conversation. What I love about Ellen is that she’s willing to sit in the fire and burn if need be. She knows conversations about race are risky and aren’t without criticism. pic.twitter.com/6yAFS5iJ3D
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) December 10, 2018
Pinkett-Smith previously tackled race and relationships on her Facebook Watch series when she revealed her own bias when it comes to blonde white women.
“I think what crushes me, specifically in my relationship with white women, the thing that really breaks my heart is that white women understand what it feels to be oppressed,” she said.
Willow chimed in, “Because of their sex.”
“Exactly. Because of their sex,” Jada agreed. “What it feels like to be ostracized or not being treated as an equal.”
She then admitted: “I’m guilty to that to a certain degree because I do have my own biases, specifically to blonde women.”
“Blonde hair on white women just triggers me,” the “Girls Trip” star said. “I’ve had to catch myself.”
“Do you have a specific incident with someone who had blonde hair?” her mother asked.
“Absolutely. All throughout my childhood. I do remember experiencing being teased by white women in regards to my hair, how I looked, feeling belittled,” Pinkett Smith said.
“I was going to do an interview with this blonde woman and I thought twice about it. I thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that.’ That was my first instinct because of how she looked! And I was like, ‘Oh! That’s no different.’ That doesn’t give me the right to clump all blonde women in one,” she continued. “And look at me, I got blonde hair! It’s no different than you getting robbed by a black guy once and now you’re saying all black dudes are thieves and dangerous.”
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