Entertainment
Jada Pinkett Smith quit alcohol and drugs after ‘passing out high from ecstasy’ on Nutty Professor set
Jada Pinkett Smith partied ‘hard’ in the 90s (Picture: Facebook)
Jada Pinkett Smith has recalled the terrifying incident that caused her to quit drinking and drugs, after passing out while high on The Nutty Professor movie set.
The Gotham actress has recalled how she indulged ‘hard’ in drink and drugs in the 1990s, consuming up to three bottles in one night.
However, Jada realised she had a ‘problem’ when she turned up under the influence to work on the 1996 comedy, The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy.
Speaking on the latest episode of her Red Table Talk series, the actress revealed: ‘One of the reasons why this particular show was really important to me is because wine, for me, was like Kool-Aid. I was a brown liquor drinker – rum – and also vodka. I was a hard liquor drinker. Like, I could drink almost anybody under the table…
‘I was drinking hard in high school too, and when I got out here, I was doing cocktails. So ecstasy, alcohol, weed.’
She added: ‘Let me tell you, I was having me a little ball. But it was like, “This is not cocaine. This is not heroin”. I would do those three together. That was my cocktail.’
The 49-year-old went on to explain that her threshold for drinking became ‘so high’ that she progressed to two bottles of wine and would then do ‘ecstasy, weed and alcohol at the same time’ to ‘get there faster’.
‘I can keep the high going because then I can just keep drinking ’cause I know ecstasy’s gonna last me about three, four, five hours, the weed, you know, that’s just gonna keep me just smooth, and then the alcohol’s gonna keep it going,’ she explained.
‘I was going for that third bottle of wine, I said, “You’ve got a problem”. And it was cold turkey that day… I just stopped.’
The Girls Trip actress recalled the Nutty Professor incident, which she describes as an ‘eye-opening incident’.
‘I passed out. Makeup trailer,’ she stated.
‘I passed out. I went to work high, and it was a bad batch of ecstasy. And I passed out. And I told everybody that I had taken – I must’ve had old medication in a vitamin bottle. That’s what I said. But I tell you what I did though. Got my ass together and got on that set. That was the last time.’
More: US Showbiz news
Even Jada’s daughter Willow Smith was shocked as she replied: ‘I would never do some s**t like that.’
The Hollywood star admitted she was surprised at herself for not using her mother’s experience as a heroin addict to avoid substances.
On a lighter note, Jada joked during the interview that husband Will Smith was a ‘lightweight’ and not a huge fan of drinking.
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.
MORE : Jada Pinkett Smith shares unseen Tupac Shakur poem as she celebrates late rapper’s 50th birthday
