August Alsina is responding to Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk that broke the internet and shattered records as millions tuned in to watch the actress admit to an “entanglement” with the R&B singer.
The word entanglement has been roundly mocked and turned into a meme since Pinkett Smith uttered it to describe her relationship with the 27-year-old last week. Alsina told Vulture in an interview published Friday that it was the right word to use. He didn’t watch the interview but heard all about it.
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“I don’t know why that word is such an issue. I would agree [with Jada]. If you look up the definition of “entanglement,” it is a complex and difficult relationship. It was exactly that,” he said.
“I think it’s just the language that probably stuck out to people. But I definitely have to agree with it being an entanglement. It definitely was something complicated, a complicated dynamic.”
Alsina has previously hinted to a relationship with Pinkett Smith who has been married to Will Smith since 1997 and shares two children with him, Willow and Jaden Smith. Alsina confirmed the speculation in an interview with The Breakfast Club’s Angela Yee in late June in an effort to clear his name.
Read More: Jada Pinkett Smith admits to ‘entanglement’ with August Alsina on ‘Red Table Talk’
“This became very complex for me because we’re all public figures, and there was a lot of chatter around my name and her name,” Alsina said.
“I’m pretty expressive. And when I love something or love someone, I express that. Over time, I was expressing my love externally and outwardly, and when you are in a situation, and you super in love, it’s like, f— it. I don’t care what anybody thinks. This is just how I feel.”
Above all else, he wanted it known that he did not break up anyone’s marriage. Pinkett Smith admitted that she and Will were separated at the time of her relationship with Alsina more than four years ago.
“People looked at me as this problematic guy who was super reckless, like I’m pushing up on someone’s wife. I didn’t really like that. I didn’t like the sound of that, especially when it wasn’t the truth,” he said.
Alsina felt that people “didn’t have the truth,” and had distorted his character. He claimed the rumors impacted his soul and that an “elephant” was sitting on his spirit.
“It was a difficult decision. I never want to be the one causing a ruckus. I never want to be problematic in any kind of way,” he said.
“But after talking to a few people that I have love for and respect and who’ve been in this business for some time, and even people outside the business that have been respectful, they also thought that I should free myself in that way.”
Alsina stands by the assertion that Will gave his “blessing” for him to pursue a relationship with his wife which the Smith’s denied. Alsina said he had no reason to lie.
“What I said in my interview, how I said it, when I said it, is exactly what I said and exactly what I meant. That’s all I can really say about that. All I have is my truth, and all I have is my truth to stand on it. I don’t have any reason to lie about anything,” he said.
Read More: August Alsina says Will Smith ‘gave his blessing’ with Jada Pinkett Smith
Despite the controversy of the past few weeks, Alsina said he wished the Smith’s and everyone else nothing but love.
“I don’t have an issue with anybody,” he said. “I love everybody. I love all of them. They’ve been my family, and there’s a lot of history there. They’re beautiful people. They’re beautiful spirits. They really are.”
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