Willow Smith just got real about her sex life. In the latest episode of Red Table Talk, the 20-year-old co-host opened about about being polyamorous during a revealing, no-holds-barred chat with mom Jada Pinkett Smith and grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Norris.
Although this isn’t the first time the singer-actress has discussed polyamory on the show, it is the first time she’s outright described herself as polyamorous.
Related: Polyamory 101: here’s how to do alternative relationships right.
“Let’s say you haven’t always been the person wanting sex all the time, but your partner is,” Willow says in a clip from the Facebook Watch series. “Are you going to be the person to say, ‘Just because I don’t have these needs, you can’t have them either?'”
She added, “That’s one of the reasons why I was interested in poly because I was introduced to it through kind of a nonsexual lens. In my friend group, I’m the only polyamorous person and I have the least sex out of all of my friends.”
Consensual, non-monogamous relationships have gotten more media play in recent years as more celebs open up about their dating habits (think: Bella Thorne and Shailene Woodley), but polyamory is still sometimes overshadowed by ill-informed, outdated relationship myths.
See also: Should your lover be your best friend?
“I’m not the kind of person that is constantly looking for new sexual experiences,” Smith said. “I focus a lot on the emotional connection, and I feel like if I were to find two people of the different genders that I really connected with and we had a romantic and sexual connection, I don’t feel like I would feel the need to try to go find more.”
During the conversation, Smith received the full support of mom Jada, although her grandmother seemed uncertain. “For somebody like me, [polyamory] feels like it’s all just centred around sex,” she said.
Perhaps to ease her grandmother’s concerns, Smith added, “If your intention is just to have sex all the time with whoever you want, that doesn’t sit well with me. That’s not aligned with my purpose.”
Related: 10 dating terms we keep hearing and what they mean.
Over the years, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have been honest about their open marriage. As Pinkett Smith once told Huffington Post, “Our perspective is, you don’t avoid what’s natural. You’re going to be attracted to people. In our marriage vows, we didn’t say forsaking all others.”
Red Talk Table, which premiered on Facebook Watch in 2018, revolves around frank, honest discussions shared between three generations of women – Willow, Jada and Adrienne. Topics have ranged from facing addiction and surviving loss to emotional scars and narcissism.
Related: These celebs in open marriages might surprise you.
Watch the full episode of Red Table Talk‘s “Is Polyamory For You” here.
