Dey Street Books To Publish Memoir From Jada Pinkett Smith

Dey Street Books, an imprint of the William Morrow Group at HarperCollins Publishers, announced today that they will publish a memoir by actress, entrepreneur, singer, philanthropist, and talk-show host, Jada Pinkett Smith.

VP and Editorial Director Carrie Thornton brokered the deal with Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Thornton will partner with sister imprint 4th Estate in the UK. The book will be released Fall 2023.

In her honest and gripping memoir, as yet untitled, the iconic actress and host of the innovative talk-show Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith, chronicles lessons learned in the course of a difficult but riveting journey—a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery and the celebration of authentic feminine power.

With no holds barred, Jada reveals her unconventional upbringing in Baltimore—from the child of two addicts to a promising theatre student and a violent interlude as a petty drug-dealer—followed by a parallel rise to stardom alongside her close friend 2Pac, then falling in love with and marrying Will Smith, and a joyous embrace of motherhood. In crisis at age forty, Jada recounts the excruciating choices she was forced to make to redefine her life in every way.

At the heart of this powerful book are two unexpected love stories, one being Jada’s complicated marriage to Will Smith, the other being the one with herself.

Thornton says, “The world has imposed many labels and narratives on Jada Pinkett Smith.”

“This is down to the realities of our media landscape, but also the roles thrust upon women by culture. At the center of all the speculation and false stories is a woman who, like so many women, has had to reconcile her personhood with the needs of those she loves. This memoir is Jada giving the world her truth, taking readers on a journey from lost girl to woman warrior. It is my great honor to take that journey with her.”