Jada Pinkett Smith says she had “sexual experiences with women” during early years in Hollywood

The revelations in Jada Pinkett Smith’s new memoir continue to make headlines. Most notably, the actor writes in Worthy that she and husband Will Smith have been separated for years, though they have no intention to divorce.

The celebrity couple has been dogged by persistent rumors that one or both of them is queer for years. Pinkett Smith recently addressed those rumors on an NBC News prime time special last week, telling Today host Hoda Kotb that “none of that’s true.”

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But Will Smith’s violence – as well as the assumption that Jada Pinkett Smith couldn’t defend herself – is part and parcel of heteropatriarchy.

“I definitely can understand why there would be misunderstandings, but none of it’s true,” she said.

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But as entertainment news site TooFab notes, Pinkett Smith gets even more candid in Worthy, writing about a period of experimentation during her early years in Hollywood.

“Now, there have always been rumors that I’m gay – that I like women,” she writes. “Maybe that had something to do with the clubs where I hung out, like the Catch, one of the leading LGBTQ+ spots in L.A. at this time that had nights for getting up and doing lip-synchs, and where I myself, on several occasions, got up onstage and lip-synched to all kind of songs. I killed Madonna‘s ‘Vogue’ there one night.”

“The truth is that during those early years of exploration in Hollywood, I had a few sexual experiences with women, only to realize that when it comes to sex, I love men,” she continues. “Still, I cherish the beauty of women inside and out. And I have never stopped being infatuated and in awe of women of all ages, sizes, and colors. My belief is – women are the most amazing creatures on the planet, and I hold reverence for women through my friendships.”

Pinkett Smith goes on to write that her experiences taught her “that every woman should have the right and the freedom to explore and embrace her sexuality unapologetically by her own definition.”