Jada Pinkett Smith on her and Demi Moore's shared childhood struggles: We both have ‘codependency issues’

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Jada Pinkett Smith on her and Demi Moore's shared childhood struggles: We both have 'codependency issues'

Jada Pinkett Smith invites Demi Moore and daughters Rumer, Tallulah Willis on 'Red Table Talk' to discuss the shocking memoir 'Inside Out.' Smith's daughter Willow also gains some fresh perspective on the challenges of growing up with celebrity parents.

Jada Pinkett Smith said Demi Moore held nothing back when it came it sitting down for an interview with the “Red Table Talk” host.

The 56-year-old Moore published a memoir titled “Inside Out” in September where she recalls her tumultuous childhood, high-profile marriages and overcoming addiction. The actress dedicated the book to her three daughters, as well as her troubled mother, who died in 1998.

Moore, along with daughters Rumer and Tallulah Willis, whom she shares with ex-husband Bruce Willis, recently sat down with Smith, her daughter Willow Smith and matriarch Adrienne Banfield-Jones for the Daytime Emmy-nominated series “Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch. The three women shared intimate details about “Inside Out,” the difficulties of their relationship behind closed doors and how they persevered over the years.

Smith, 48, spoke to Fox News about inviting the women to “Red Table Talk,” her own relationship with Willow, 19, and the one moment where she nearly gave up on her career.

DEMI MOORE’S DAUGHTER RUMER WILLIS RECALLS DIALING 911 AFTER MOM HAD DRUG-INDUCED SEIZURE

DEMI MOORE’S DAUGHTER RUMER WILLIS RECALLS DIALING 911 AFTER MOM HAD DRUG-INDUCED SEIZURE

Fox News: What surprised you the most about Demi Moore and her daughters while filming “Red Table Talk”?
Jada Pinkett Smith: I don't think there was much that surprised me. I think that it was just wonderful to be able to have a conversation with another family of women that are in a similar healing process like my own.

Demi is a child of a young mother who was an addict, I'm a child of a young mother who was an addict. So Demi and I both have our codependency issues that we are grappling with as well as we both struggled with addiction and coming to the table to also talk about how we've been affected by our mother's addictions and how our behavior has affected our children as well. So it's really a table talk about the passing parental traumas to children.

Fox News: Demi Moore's relationship with her mother growing up was an awful one. In your opinion, after everything she endured, why was she willing to reconnect with her later in life?
Smith: I think that she answers that so beautifully at the Red Table. In order for her... She really wanted her children to have a sense of understanding and compassion for her and her struggles and she knew that she would have to offer her mother the same gift.

Fox News: Demi is very candid about her own battles with addiction. What do you think kept her alive?
Smith: I think Demi is a very strong woman and her life force is incredible. So I think what keeps and kept Demi alive and to continue to heal is the incredible life force that she possesses. She's a powerhouse (laughs).

DEMI MOORE'S DAUGHTERS DESCRIBE HER RELAPSE: 'A MONSTER CAME'

Demi Moore attends "Empire" and "Star" celebrate FOX's new Wednesday night at One World Observatory on September 23, 2017, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

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Fox News: How would you describe Demi's relationship with Rumer and Tallulah today?
Smith: Beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. And it's inspiring and you just recognize that relating is a process, you know? Because as our kids grow and as we grow and as we learn more things, there's so much more blossoming and blooming that can occur in relationships.

You never arrive anywhere, it's always just going and growing and getting more and more beautiful. So that is the beauty that our relationships have to offer if we're open to it. And in order for that to happen, you have to have very candid, real conversations in order to get to the next place of your relating.

Fox News: What was Willow's take on Rumer and Tallulah’s message in this episode?
Smith: I think for Willow, she related greatly with Rumer and Tallulah. And it was so nice to see that kind of comradery between them. Because Demi, myself, Bruce, Will [Smith], we asked for these harsh lights of Hollywood. We actually went in search for them and then we had children. We gave birth to children under these hot lights of Hollywood, and they did not necessarily ask for this kind of lifestyle.

And so from the moment that they were all born, they were under a microscope. They were not allowed to grow up as most young adults are, which is not in front of cameras. So it was just nice to hear how they related in regards to being children of actors in Hollywood, and how it's affected them.

JADA PINKETT SMITH SAYS 'RED TABLE TALK' GOT HER TO A 'GOOD PLACE' IN HER 40S

Willow Smith attends the Environmental Media Association 2nd Annual Honors Benefit Gala at Private Residence on September 28, 2019, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Andrew Toth/Getty Images for The Environmental Media Association)

JADA PINKETT SMITH REVEALS WILL SMITH MARRIAGE IS ONLY RECENTLY FEELING LIKE AN 'ADULT RELATIONSHIP'

Fox News: What do you hope audiences will get from this season?
Smith: Well, what I hope audiences will get from this particular episode is that just because... Going through difficult times in family relationships is inevitable. It doesn't actually mean that there's anything wrong with your family, it just means that you're being asked to find those levels of compassion and love to get you through this particular space or this particular obstacle or misunderstanding.

That is what life's about and don't give up on those that you love, even though it's not always so easy to have relationships that feel good to us. It takes work, believe it or not. Even some of the best relationships we have, relationships just take a lot of work.

Fox News: How has your relationship with your daughter Willow changed in any way since opening up to each other on “Red Table Talk"?
Smith: We've had so many healing moments. I mean, we have a deep healing moment at the Red Table with Demi, Rumer and Tallulah because of this conversation, because of their courageous transparency.

And so it just goes to show when we are willing and courageous enough to share our stories is actually far more helpful, in my opinion, and far more healing than trying to give someone advice. Sometimes you just need to hear what people have been through in order to kind of conjure a sense of compassion and understanding, which also a lot of times will manifest into a healing of some kind.

JADA PINKETT SMITH REVEALS THAT SHE AND WILL SMITH DON'T CELEBRATE THEIR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Jada Pinkett Smith explained why she and her husband Will Smith. (Getty Images)

JADA PINKETT SMITH SAYS SHE AND WILL SMITH WILL 'NEVER' DIVORCE

Fox News: You've held nothing back when it comes to sharing your own experiences with viewers in this show. Was there ever a time filming an episode where you thought, "Maybe my mother shouldn't have heard that?”
Smith: No, no, never. Never.

Fox News: Was there ever a moment in your career where you felt like giving up or didn't feel like you deserved your success?
Smith: There was definitely a time in my career, or have been several times, that I put it to the side and had no intention of returning... [But[ "Gotham" kind of sparked me in a new creative way to bring me back into the industry, because I was definitely on the verge of letting it go, for sure.

Fox News: What has been the secret behind your lasting marriage to Will Smith?
Smith: Friendship. You have to be friends first.

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