Jada Pinkett Smith and daughter Willow Smith both admitted to dealing with anxiety throughout their lives, whether knowingly or not. On the April 25 episode of “Red Table Talk,” the duo opened up about what Jada called a “cycle of generational anxiety,” per the New York Post. Despite signs like habitually biting her fingernails, Jada never used to think of her symptoms as mental health-related — and neither did her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris. “I never identified it as anxiety,” said Banfield-Norris, also present at the Red Table.
Ignoring her symptoms, Jada shared, unfortunately enabled her ignorance of Willow’s as well. “It was rough,” Willow admitted. “I feel like when I was growing up, she didn’t understand my anxiety. Because she, growing up, had seen her friends die … she had been through so much stuff that my issues, to her, kind of felt like … [smaller].” Willow has been vocal about her mental health struggles in more recent years, even revealing she had an anxiety attack around age 10 while performing on a late night show (per Insider). Willow’s symptoms, including shaking and screaming, did eventually “trigger” Jada, who realized she and her daughter shared this similarity.
Ultimately, the “Emo Girl” singer explained she “had to forgive [Jada] a little bit for being like, ‘I get it, but it’s really not that bad.'”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Nicki
