Will and Jada syndrome: Do we enjoy seeing black celebrity couples fail?

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From Clutch magazine: On Friday, Jada Pinkett Smith set the record straight about the divorce rumors that have been going around for months about her marriage with Will Smith. She told the French magazine Gala that she doesn’t know why these rumors won’t go away.

“I have no idea! Every year, one celebrity couple is under the microscope. This year, unluckily, it’s us! I almost want to say that we should have been expecting it. Will and I know the truth. We’re waiting peacefully for the storm to blow over.”

In all actuality, Will and Jada have been under the microscope from the moment they said “I do.” For some reason it seems as though the public has always been counting down to the demise of the power couple. From the speculation that they are swingers to the recent divorce rumors, one could conclude that the idea of a black celebrity couple making it is unthinkable.

Instead of rooting the couple on, we are more than happy to shout, “I knew it!” at the possibility of this marriage coming to an end. There is such a stigma around black couples in general that we should be hoping this couple does stand the test of time so that we can prove the statistics wrong. Not every black marriage will fail with our children having to deal with being raised in a one parent home.

The public is still surprised at the longevity of Denzel Washington and his wife, yet the long lasting marriage of Tom Hanks and his wife is not a surprise. Why must we think like that about celebrity couples with a darker hue? Why can’t it be the norm to see a happy, successful black couple go the distance?

When it comes to marriage I am always on the side of wanting to see it really last until “death do us part.” This is especially true for black couples. Spreading rumors, digging up dirt and waiting to see a black couple fall is not what we need in the black community.

If we don’t uplift and encourage each other then who will?

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