Joshua Jacksonis coming to the defense of his wifeJodie Turner-Smith.
Last month, the 43-year-old actor opened up during an appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonabout how Turner-Smith, 34,initially proposed to himbefore the pairtied the knotin 2019.
“And it has been a necessary, but an unpleasant education in just the way people relate to Black bodies in general, but Black female bodies in specific,” he added. “It is not okay. We have a long way to go.”
Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson.David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Jackson also took the opportunity to praise how his wife, with whom he shares15-month-old daughter Janie, handles the racism and sexism she receives as a Black woman.
“I think it’s like a golden cage, the concept of the strong Black woman. I would wish for my wife that she would not have to rise above with such amazing strength and grace, above the ugliness that people throw at her on a day to day,” he said. “I am impressed with her that she does it, but I would wish that that would not be the armor that she has to put on every morning to just navigate being alive.”
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Earlier in the interview, Jackson provided some additional “context” to the story of Turner-Smith’s proposal, which took place during the couple’s trip to Nicaragua.
Joe Scarnici/Getty.
“So I accidentally threw my wife under the bus because that story was told quickly and it didn’t give the full context and holy Jesus, the internet is racist and misogynist,” he said.
He continued, “So yes, we were in Nicaragua on a beautiful moonlit night, it could not possibly have been more romantic,” he said. And yes, my wife did propose to me and yes, I did say yes, but what I didn’t say in that interview was there was a caveat, which is that I’m still old school enough that I said, ‘This is a yes, but you have to give me the opportunity [to do it too].'"
Jackson noted that he was most focused on speaking to her biological father and her stepdad, who he said “raised her,” prior to their nuptials.
“[I said], ‘You have to give me the opportunity to ask both of those men for your hand in marriage,'” he said. “And then, ‘I would like the opportunity to re-propose those to you and do it the old-fashioned way down on bended knee.’ So, that’s actually how the story ended up.”
source: people.com
