More celebrities come forward to share their work experiences alongside Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith after Jada’s confession to a past romance with August Alsina. Elise Neal worked with the Smiths in comedy All of us before giving up at the end of the second season. Neal now says he quit because the Smiths’ marital problems created tension on the set.
Elise Neal in ‘All of Us’
The Smiths were the creators and executive producers of the sitcom UPN. All of us. The show was loosely based on the early stages of Will and Jada’s relationship. All of us he often documented the tense moments between Jada and Will’s ex-wife.
Neal played the role of Tia, Robert’s fiancée, who finds herself fighting for the respect of Robert and his ex-wife, Neesee. Tia also had trouble finding her place in the life of her future stepson, Bobby.
Tia breaks her relationship with Robert multiple times throughout the show due to her frustration with Robert’s already established family dynamics. Despite the breakups, Tia and Robert are often seen because Tia is a teacher at Bobby’s school.
Elise Neal Says She Quit ‘All of Us’ Due to Smiths‘unhappiness’
After two seasons on the show, Neal announced that he would not be returning. Neal’s departure was shocking and left the writers of the show with the task of creating a new story.
After Jada and Alsina admitted their past relationship, Neal spoke about his opinion on the Smiths’ marriage while speaking to Viral Hip Hop News. He started by explaining that he has no problem with the unconventional marriage the Smiths have chosen, but he said his marriage problems spilled on set and impacted him negatively.
Related: August Alsina: How do you feel about Jada Pinkett Smith calling your relationship a “mess” and why did you get ahead
Everyone knows he was on the set “All of Us”, right? But this is what I can say, feeling that something is going to turn me upside down. If someone is unhappy, they pass that unhappiness on to others. I was not happy on that set because people treated me in a way that I could say they were unhappy … if I come to work for people and they bring that unhappiness to others, like myself. I felt that and received it on that set.
Neal made sure to note that she loves Will, hinting that the nasty ones came from Jada during her time on the show.
“I know Will and I love Will. I love Will as an individual. I don’t know much about him personally. I just know that I worked with him and enjoyed working with him. So I was hoping to have a very fun work experience. And I’m still sad because it wasn’t like that, ”he said.
Neal admitted that he lost a significant salary when leaving the program, but explained that moving away from an apparently toxic work environment was ultimately the right decision.
