Worthy

A gripping, at times painfully honest, and irresistibly inspirational memoir from global superstar Jada Pinkett Smith. Pulling no punches, Smith chronicles lessons of her storied life—from her rebellious youth running the Baltimore streets in the heyday of drug trafficking, to in-demand actress, outspoken activist, to wife and mother in a seeming dream-come-true of Hollywood success. A rollercoaster ride into the shadow of feeling incurably unlovable, Smith’s account takes us from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of self-love, spiritual healing, and a collective celebration of authentic feminine power. In a media landscape full of false narratives imposed on celebrities, and in a culture primed to deny women their own heroic journeys, Jada Pinkett Smith has chosen to tell her story in her way—by having a conversation with readers, sharing her journey from lost girl to woman warrior to queen of her own heart, to the knowledge that we are all indeed Worthy.  

I open my story at age forty, desperate for help and on the brink of taking my own life. For years I thought I’d checked all the right boxes needed for happiness—career, family, marriage, fame and fortune. All the while I had been running from the wounds within that prevented me from feeling the love and well-being I so wanted. Having come to a point where there was nowhere else to run, I set out on a journey towards curing my urges of self-destruction which required me to confront the truths of the past—from my birth to two teenaged parents, both struggling with addiction, to the haven created by my grandmother who taught me the power of familial love; from my deep friendship with Tupac Shakur that began in high school to my early career breaks and refusal to play the Hollywood game; from my joyful embrace of motherhood to the complicated journey I’ve shared with my husband Will Smith, to lessons learned in the best and worst of times—including “the Slap”; from a deepened spiritual quest for answers to life’s most confounding mysteries to my search to truly understand what it means to love and be loved. Writing Worthy has reinforced my belief that for all our differences, far too many of us suffer from the lies of being unlovable, so much so that we lose sight of who we are and of the richly rewarding lives that are our due. My hope is that my story, as unconventional as it may seem, may give you back your story and the parts that remind you how you came to this life to know—love. Let that love begin with you through the understanding that no matter what—you are Worthy.Worthy is told in loose chronological order, with segues between the main passages that offer prescriptive, straight to the reader messages and suggestions for applying lessons universally. Meant to be conversation starters, these sections will be in red ink, bringing readers to the “table” and asking them to examine their own lives. An impactful, authentic, and rare memoir that engages and educates, Worthy is a love song to self, to family, to life, and to the world.

About the Author

Jada Pinkett Smith is an American actress, singer-songwriter, talk show host, producer, and businesswoman. She got her big break in 1991 when she landed the role of Lena James on the NBC sitcom, A Different World. Since then, Jada Pinkett Smith has appeared in more than 20 films in a variety of genres, including Menace II Society, Set It Off, Scream 2, Ali, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, the Madagascar series, Hawthorne, Gotham, Magic Mike XXL, Bad Moms, and Girls Trip.In 2002, Jada launched her music career when she helped create the metal band Wicked Wisdom, for whom she is a singer and songwriter. In 2004, she published a children’s book, Girls Hold Up This World, which landed at number two on The New York Times Bestseller list. Currently, she is the co-host of the globally embraced streaming talk show Red Table Talk, for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021. Jada is married to actor Will Smith and shares three children with him. Together, the couple founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, a charity organization which focuses on inner-city youth and family support. The couple also owns Westbrook Inc., a media company that aims to empower artists to tell their stories and connect with the world.