Will Smith Recalls Being ‘Terrified’ on Date With Salt-N-Pepa Rapper Sandra Denton in the ’80s

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Will Smith will never forget the “one and only” date he had with Salt-N-Pepa rapper Sandra Denton “sometime in early ’88.’” The King Richard actor, 55, spoke with Sandra, 57, on a recent episode of his “Class of ’88” podcast, where he admitted he felt “terrified” during their evening together. 

“I always had a thing for Sandy, but she was always dating somebody else,” Will began. “Now, she was single. We was both going to be in L.A. at the same time, so Imma shoot my shot [sic]. … This girl was special, and I wanted to impress her, so I rented a white Mercedes convertible just because I needed to floss a little bit.” 

After the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum explained that his “plan” was “to take her around Hollywood Hills, drive up Mulholland and all that, watch the sunset,” Sandra interjected, “I know exactly what happened. We were out, and we saw a homeless person, and you gave the homeless person $100.” 

“I was like OK, and it was so nice. And then we went to the Hollywood sign,” Will continued before pointing out, “My concern was that I was going to get killed. That was my concern when I was trying to spit my game, but I ain’t really have nothing. … I was always faked like I had game. I didn’t really have game. I was always in this full-on, trying to give the wildest flavor of having game, but that might have been the most terrified I had ever been trying to shoot my shot with Pepa. And I didn’t believe I had a real shot.”

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Even though things didn’t turn romantic between Will and Sandra, he acknowledged that they “always really got along” and have remained friends. 

The Aladdin actor went on to marry his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, in December 1997, whereas  Sandra married her ex-husband, Treach, in 1999. They finalized their divorce in 2001. 

Will and Jada’s marriage made headlines toward the end of this year. Upon the release of Jada’s book, Worthy, in October, readers learned about the ups and downs throughout the spouses’ relationship. One of the most shocking revelations that Jada, 52, made in her memoir was that she and Will had been separated since 2016 but remained legally married. 

The Girls Trip star explained during an NBC interview why she and Will did not end their marriage. “I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce,” she noted. “We will work through whatever, and I just haven’t been able to break that promise.”

Despite the bold revelation about their personal lives, Will took the time to pen a reaction letter for Jada, which she got to hear during a subsequent interview while promoting her memoir. In his note, the Concussion actor applauded his wife for her bravery in writing the candid book. 

“I know it wasn’t easy to excavate the depths in that way. I applaud and honor you,” Will wrote. “If I had read this book 30 years ago, I definitely would have hugged you more. I’ll start now. Welcome to the Authors’ Club. I love you endlessly.”