Jada Pinkett Smith was emotional on her show Red Table Talk as she interviewed the mother of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, who took her own life in January.
Ahead of April Simpkins joining the table, Pinkett Smith, along with her daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, watched a montage of Kryst’s life, including her winning pageant moment and red carpet interviews with celebrities.
“What many didn’t know is that underneath it all, Cheslie was reeling from debilitating depression,” Pinkett Smith said in a voice-over.
When the montage was finished and the camera cut back to the trio, Pinkett Smith was visibly upset and being comforted by Willow.
During the episode, Simpkins opened up about her grief after Kryst’s death, as well as talking about her daughter’s “high-functioning” depression.
“Depression is not always marked by people laying in bed,” Simpkins said. “There are people who are high functioning and getting through the day. Cheslie wore the face.”
She also spoke about the day Kryst died, including the final text she received from her daughter. “I would read some sentences and then I would just collapse,” she said.
Kryst died on January 30. Her body was discovered at the foot of the 60-storey Orion building in Manhattan at about 7.15am.
Shortly before, Kryst posted on her Instagram, writing: “May this day bring you rest and peace.”
Kryst, who was a lawyer, won the competition in 2019 and also worked as a presenter on the entertainment news programme Extra in the US.
Kryst followed in the footsteps of Simpkins, a former Mrs North Carolina, in pursuing pageantry. As a teenager, she won several local titles, before competing for the crown of Miss North Carolina. On her second attempt in 2017, she placed as first runner up, but when winner Caelynn Miller-Keyes was unable to take part in Miss USA owing to the filming of the reality television show The Bachelor, Kryst was called up, and eventually went on to win the title as Miss USA 2019.
The same year, she represented the US in the Miss Universe competition, where she placed in the top 10.
Cheslie Kryst's pageant journey in pictures:
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Miss North Carolina Cheslie Kryst won the 2019 Miss USA final competition at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, on May 2, 2019. Kryst, who had been diagnosed with depression, took her own life in 2022. AP -
From left, Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, Miss Mexico Sofia Aragon, Miss Peru Kelin Rivera, Miss Dominican Republic Clauvid Daly and Miss Puerto Rico Madison Anderson on stage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant at Tyler Perry Studios on in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP -
Cheslie Kryst at the the 2019 Miss USA pageant. AP -
Cheslie Kryst on a visit to the BUILD Series to discuss winning Miss USA in May 2019 in New York City. AFP -
Cheslie Kryst presents the James Norris Memorial Trophy as host Kenan Thompson, as his character Steve Harvey, looks on during the 2019 NHL Awards at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on June 19, 2019 in Las Vegas. Getty Images -
Cheslie Kryst attends Black Girls Rock 2019 Hosted By Niecy Nash at NJPAC in August 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. Getty Images -
Cheslie Kryst at the Annual Charity Day Hosted By Cantor Fitzgerald in September 2019, in New York. AFP -
Miss USA Cheslie Kryst in her costume during the Miss Universe 2019 preliminary round. EPA -
Miss USA Cheslie Kryst appears onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant at Tyler Perry Studios on December 08, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images -
Steve Harvey interviewed Miss USA Cheslie Kryst onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant. Getty Images -
Cheslie Kryst at the the world premiere of 'Like a Boss' at the SVA Theatre in January 2020, in New York. AP -
From left, Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris and Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin speak at NYFW: The Talks, The Evolving Standard of Beauty presented by the Miss Universe Organization during New York Fashion Week in February 2020, in New York City. AFP -
Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza, left, with Cheslie Kryst at the 69th Miss Universe competition at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on May 16, 2021 in Florida. Getty Images
