Why Jada Pinkett Smith Says, Tupac Shakur’s Death Made Her ‘Mad at God’

Jada Pinkett Smith once shared the spiritual shifts she made after the death of her friend, rapper Tupac Shakur. 

On September 13, 1996, Shakur died after being shot in Las Vegas several days prior. The rapper was 25-years-old and left behind a slew of fans, family members, and friends. One of Shakur’s most famous friends, Pinkett Smith, shared how his death affected her several times. She and Shakur were childhood friends, and both endured rumors about their relationship up until Shakur’s death. 

Jada Pinkett Smith says Tupac Shakur’s death made her ‘mad at God’

Pinkett Smith opened up about the grief she still has for Shakur during an episode of Red Table Talk. While she sat next to her daughter, Willow Smith, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Pinkett Smith admitted she still hasn’t come to terms with Shakur’s death. She said losing Shakur, and several other friends at a young age left her with a lot of anger and resentment that she still carries. 

“A lot of people talk about my relationship with Pac and figure that out. That was a huge loss in my life. Because he was one of those people, I expected to be here. My upset is more anger because I feel like he left me,” Pinkett Smith said. “And I know that’s not true and it’s a very selfish way to think about it…I really did believe he’d be here for the long run. And when I think about it, I still get really mad. I get mad at God; I get mad at him (Shakur), I get mad at everybody.”

Willow Smith once asked Tupac Shakur to come back to Jada Pinkett Smith 

Pinkett Smith and Shakur met years before their meteoric rise to fame. The actress met Shakur in the 1980s when they both attended the same high school in Baltimore. At the time, Pinkett Smith said she was a drug dealer but was transitioning out of the lifestyle. She said she and Shakur had an instant connection, which many of their fans thought evolved into a romantic relationship. Although Shakur wrote a poem dedicated to Pinkett Smith and once shared a kiss, Pinkett Smith has always said that her friendship with Shakur was platonic. 

Although they never dated, Pinkett Smith’s friendship with Shakur was something her family knew. Her husband, Will Smith, admitted he once felt threatened by Pinkett Smith’s relationship with Shakur. In 2012, Willow shed light on Pinkett Smith’s relationship with Shakur when she wrote an open letter to the rapper. The then-11-year-old begged Shakur to come back into Pinkett Smith’s life, as she believed he was still alive. 

“Dear Tupac, I know you are alive someplace. I think that my mommy really misses you. Can you please come back[?] Can you come back so mommy and me can be happy! I really wish you were here. I really do! Love, Willow,” she wrote.

Jada Pinkett Smith says Tupac Shakur is the reason she was in ‘Menace II Society’

Pinkett Smith told Entertainment Weekly that, if it hadn’t been for Shakur, she wouldn’t have been in one of her iconic roles, via Essence. The actress, who had taken on roles in Doogie Howser, M.D. and A Different World, catapulted to fame with her portrayal of a single mother named Ronnie in Menace II Society. She shared that she wasn’t going to take the role until Shakur convinced her. The rapper, who starred in films like Juice and Poetic Justice, was also up for a Menace II Society role.  

“I was questioning whether I should do it or not, and Pac was like, ‘Look, just because I’m not doing it…you should still do it.’ I probably wouldn’t have done it without his blessing,” Pinkett Smith said.