Facebook Watch has announced that “Red Table Talk” — the buzzy, issues-oriented talk show with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith; her daughter, Willow Smith; and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris — will return at 9 a.m. PT/ 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 31, with new episodes streaming weekly.
“Red Table Talk” made headlines last year with its interview with Olivia Jade Gianulli, the influencer whose parents, actor Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, paid bribes to USC to admit her and her sister, and were busted during the college admissions scandal. In the hosts’ discussion before Giannulli came to the Red Table, Banfield-Norris said she hadn’t wanted her as a guest on the show, considering the pandemic and Black Lives Matter: “Her being here is the epitome of white privilege, to me.”
But no episode got more attention than when Pinkett Smith brought herself and husband Will Smith to the table last summer in order to discuss their marriage, specifically that she’d had an affair with singer August Alsina years before when the couple had been separated. Within 24 hours of going up on Facebook, the segment, titled “Jada Brings Herself to the Table,” got more than 15 million views, breaking Facebook Watch records, and seemingly also generated nearly that many hot takes.
“Red Table Talk” is the No. 1 original series on Facebook Watch. It’s been nominated for three Daytime Emmys and has won three NAACP Image awards. The show has become part of the cultural zeitgeist, and is considered a key stop along the way for celebrities who might have some things to discuss.
According to the announcement, upcoming topics for the new episodes will include discussions about “sexuality, narcissism, and hidden epidemics within the global pandemic, from abuse to conspiracy theories.”
The show is produced by Westbrook Studios, a subsidiary of Westbrook Inc., the media company founded in 2019 by Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Miguel Melendez and Ko Yada. The executive producers of “Red Table Talk” are Pinkett Smith, Ellen Rakieten, Melendez and Jack Mori.
“As a producer, it is a thrill to witness three generations take on topics that are groundbreaking, important and healing in a way that we have never quite seen before,” said executive producerRakieten.“In partnership with Facebook Watch, we have created a new lane for a new kind of conversation. We are grateful to the millions who have built our loyal and passionate ‘Red Table Talk’ community and are excited about our new episodes that are sure to have everyone sharing, liking and commenting.”
The show’s Facebook page has more than 10.4 million followers, and its offshoot discussion group has more than 623,000 members.
“‘Red Table Talk’ keeps raising the bar with honest, powerful, and revealing conversations around topics viewers care about most,” said Mina Lefevre, head of development and programming for Facebook Watch. “The ‘Red Table Talk’ community is growing every day on Facebook Watch, and we’re looking forward to bringing fans more groundbreaking episodes this year with Jada, Willow, Gammy and our partners at Westbrook Studios.”
The show expanded its franchise last year with “Red Table Talk: The Estefans,” hosted by Gloria Estefan, her daughter Emily Estefan and niece Lili Estefan. That spinoff will return with 12 new episodes later this year.
