Jay Shetty wears Jacket Canada Goose.
Jay Shetty has grown On Purpose into one of the biggest podcasts in the world, getting people like Michelle Obama and Madonna to open up like only he can. He does it from an unusual vantage point: a former monk turned self-help entrepreneur who talks less like a journalist than a guide, more interested in a person’s spiritual center than their press cycle. As part of a new nine-figure deal, he’s developing an unscripted dating series for Netflix, built explicitly against the genre’s usual gimmicks—no blind pods, no private islands—just what he’s calling the work of actually confronting why connection is so hard. To turn the tables for once, Shetty sat down with his friend and fellow spiritual traveler Jada Pinkett Smith, who pushed him past his comfort zone to admit even he still doesn’t have it all figured out.
THURSDAY 5 PM JUN. 18, 2026 L.A.
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JAY SHETTY: Jada. It’s so good to see you. I’m loving the hair.
JADA PINKETT SMITH: Oh, I got my little curly curls going down.
SHETTY: I got my curly curls too. Did you see [Radhanath] Swami this week?
PINKETT SMITH: I did, and we’re going to start with two questions from Swami.
SHETTY: Oh, no way.
PINKETT SMITH: Yeah.
SHETTY: I love that.
PINKETT SMITH: How would you describe your relationship with Radhanath Swami for people who don’t know? Would you say he’s your spiritual father?
SHETTY: Yeah, that’s a great way of putting it. Spiritual guide, spiritual father. Absolutely. I love those terms. That’s beautiful.
Jacket and Pants Giorgio Armani. T-shirt Canada Goose. Bag Montblanc.
PINKETT SMITH: I consider him my spiritual father, too. I met him through you, so that makes you my little big brother.
SHETTY: Eternally grateful for that role, for sure.
PINKETT SMITH: His first question was, in our world today, what are your feelings around how our industry can uplift people’s hearts and minds?
SHETTY: Oh, our industry? You mean entertainment or podcasting?
PINKETT SMITH: Entertainment.
SHETTY: There’s probably not a single person with an internet connection who isn’t consuming entertainment at some point in their day. Whether it’s social media, streaming platforms, listening to music, whatever. Humans have 60 to 80,000 thoughts per day, with 80 percent being both negative and repetitive, so we’re not only having negative thoughts, we’re having repetitive negative thoughts. I think entertainment has the ability to disrupt that negative thought cycle, and because it’s so powerful, it also has the potential to plant a beautiful, healthy, helpful thought instead. Entertainment made with a pure heart and the conscious intention to improve people’s lives can have an enlightening impact.
PINKETT SMITH: Would you say this philosophy is why your podcast, On Purpose, is so popular? Is it because you’ve made a safe place for people to come and share their stories?
SHETTY: Seven years ago, I was having incredible offline conversations with athletes, musicians, actors, and experts, but there was nowhere for them to talk about a purpose bigger than their persona or their personal brand or whatever project they were promoting. You were doing it on Red Table Talk, but there weren’t many other avenues for people to tell their stories and have a real opportunity to connect. I’m so grateful because people tune into On Purpose for that exact reason. Yesterday we released our episode with Emilie Kiser, who lost her baby boy, Trigg. He drowned in her pool. I cannot even begin to imagine how painful that is for her, for her family, and for everyone in her world. The initial public reaction to this horrible tragedy wasn’t all positive, but she came on yesterday and we shared her story. It was beautiful to give her a truly neutral space, free of judgment and criticism, letting her tell us her version. I feel humbled and grateful I can provide a space for those conversations, in a forum where we choose to be present with someone before we choose to judge.
Jacket, Shirt, and Pants Ami Paris.
PINKETT SMITH: I’ve watched you offer so much to the world, but you also always show up as a friend. You’re always showing up for me. How do you fill yourself back up?
SHETTY: I’ve been thinking about that a lot recently, Jada. You have to connect to source, to the divine, to god, to the universe—whatever word you like. I’m a finite, fallible, imperfect human being who has very limited capacity, even if it may feel large. I’m always going to make mistakes. I’m always going to let people down. The only way I can be of use to anyone is if I’m filling myself up through a connection to the infinite, because if the infinite runs through me, I have the opportunity to experience what that feels like. When I’m not connected, I notice my capacity and abilities are restricted and limited. That is the reminder I’m human. My daily practice connects me to that source. I have people like His Holiness Radhanath Swami. I have you and your whole family, who all inspire me so much. I go places, like the monastery I used to live at in India. I’ve taken you there. I go there at the start of every year so I can really plug in. You have to do all these things to be able to do this. Anyone who feels limited should know that’s natural. Pretending we’re limitless won’t work, but if we can connect to the unlimited we’ll feel limitless and we’ll learn how to serve people beyond our abilities and needs.
PINKETT SMITH: It seems like you’ve had the world on that podcast. From Michelle Obama to [Joe] Biden, you’ve had people from all walks of life. Is there anyone you would die to have on?
SHETTY: No. And don’t forget I’ve had you on. I’ve had Will [Smith] on.
PINKETT SMITH: Yeah.
SHETTY: I’ve had Willow [Smith] on. I really like talking to people who feel they have something to share beyond what they do as a job.
PINKETT SMITH: Got you.
SHETTY: Last year, Selena [Gomez] and Benny [Blanco] came on when they got engaged, wanting to share their love. Madonna came on—she hadn’t done an interview in nine years—she wanted to talk about the thing that saved her life, which was her spiritual path. She’d never been asked about it! She said, “Jay, no one gives me the space to talk about this.” I spent an hour on FaceTime with her once a month for three or four months to really connect on a spiritual level, to really prove we had space to have real conversations. Emma Watson came on last year; she hadn’t done an interview for five years and she wasn’t promoting a movie. She was just there to talk about what it felt like to be her and what it’s like to have been famous since she was 10 years old. This is all to say sometimes even I don’t know who I want on, because it’s not based on just a name or a position or level of fame. I’d love to talk to Rihanna because she doesn’t do interviews. I would love to talk to Beyoncé because I haven’t seen an interview with her for years. I love talking to people who don’t talk, because I believe they’re not talking for a reason.
PINKETT SMITH: I would love to see you sit down with Rih.
Jacket Jacquemus. Pants Ferragamo. Shoes Hermès.
SHETTY: Yeah, that’d be so much fun. If I had to name names, those two come to mind.
PINKETT SMITH: Let’s run it back a minute. I don’t want to skip over the fact that Madonna wanted to talk to you because no one had ever asked her about her spirituality. You took it one step further and decided to keep that conversation going, to connect with her spiritually, which I’ve had the pleasure and opportunity to experience with you often. It’s important for your audience to know and understand that you live this. It’s not just a bunch of interesting people on a podcast; you are personally invested in your guests’ wellbeing. That’s one of the biggest differences I see between you and your podcast and everything else I’ve seen out there.
SHETTY: Oh, Jada, you’re the sweetest. The sweetest! I appreciate that so deeply. When someone comes and bares their soul, how can you not want to continue that depth, that connection, that curiosity, and that spark? I am extremely grateful for that. I don’t take it for granted because it’s really hard to do.
PINKETT SMITH: Absolutely.
SHETTY: It takes real courage for a person to bare their soul, so I’m willing to reciprocate on whatever level that requires. For you and me, it’s turned into a lifetime of friendship. For other people it may be a few meetings and meditations and phone calls. Sometimes it becomes a real journey of brotherhood, but always with relationships at the center. My greatest joy is when someone comes on my show and becomes a friend, or when a friend comes on the show and we deepen our friendship. What else is there, apart from opening our hearts and souls and minds to each other and getting to connect? I remember me and this one person—I won’t say who because I don’t want to embarrass them—had such a good time together we exchanged numbers, and then I texted them and then they didn’t text back. A few days later, I texted them again just to check in. They didn’t text back. Seven days later I texted again, thinking, “We had a great connection. What happened?” Then I realized I forgot to add the country code in front of the number and the texts weren’t even sent. I was getting in my head, like, “Oh no, I really felt like we’d become friends.” That’s the kind of person I am. I love friendship. I love relationships. These are great questions, by the way. This is awesome.
PINKETT SMITH: Well, you know, Jay, I used to do this, too.
SHETTY: Oh, you’re so funny. So funny!
PINKETT SMITH: You’ve cultivated a rare level of intimacy on the podcast. Was that always the intention?
SHETTY: I started by asking, “How do I create a space of connection, trust, and respect?” My goal was to create the space, but I really have to give the credit to our guests and our audience, and I’ll tell you why. I give credit to the guests for their bravery and courage, and I give credit to the audience because they listen, even when we’re not playing the lower vibrational game. We’re here talking about real things. We’re talking about the stuff that matters, and people are listening. I hope their compassion increases, their care increases, and their love increases. That’s why we’re doing it.
Coat, Sweater, Pants, and Shoes Prada.
PINKETT SMITH: Right. I have two more questions. Oh my goodness. Wait a minute, Jay. Hold it. Hold it, Jay.
SHETTY: These are great, Jada. These are so great. I have to tell you, I’m happy. I’m so grateful to you for doing this because this is amazing. I couldn’t have had this conversation with anyone else.
PINKETT SMITH: Hold it, Jay. I forgot.
SHETTY: Take your time.
PINKETT SMITH: Okay. You talked about your humanness earlier, and how we can’t be perfect. What is one of the biggest hooks in this world that you have to look out for, for yourself?
SHETTY: For me?
PINKETT SMITH: Yeah. We know you’re a man in the world, not of it.
SHETTY: That’s such a great question. Let me think about that. I’d say my hook is toggling the spiritual and the material. I want to have a spiritual impact, but I’m also living in a material body and I have material desires. Those desires don’t disappear just because I do spiritual work. I’m still learning to purify myself. The hook is when you let your ego or your desires lead you, rather than you leading them. That is something I have to watch out for; I don’t think it’s something to solve or fix, but rather something to continuously question, reflect, and introspect on. I pray I never lose the ability to do that, because that’s the only thing that keeps me safe and sane. I think the hook is buying into our ego’s journey, and the antidote is trying to constantly be in a state of humility and gratitude. It’s something I’m always working on but will never master.
PINKETT SMITH: The humility and gratitude.
Jacket Loewe. Shirt Hermès.
SHETTY: Yes, yes.
PINKETT SMITH: One of the things I really love about you and what you do is you have such a capacity for humanness.
SHETTY: When you’ve visited all the humanness within yourself, you stop judging other people. When you visit all the corners of your heart, you see the darkness and you see the parts where you’ve messed up and the moments you could have been better. Then you see that in other people and it’s not surprising anymore. You realize we all have that capacity.
PINKETT SMITH: Absolutely.
SHETTY: And seeing your capacity doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t make you someone who’s always wrong. Yeah. I’m not perfect. I get upset, I have needs, I have expectations, I get agitated, irritated, everything, but this is how I’m aspiring to live.
PINKETT SMITH: Exactly. One last question for you, Jay. Now tell me about this dating show…
SHETTY: Jada, I believe no one should get married at first sight. I believe love should not be blind, and I believe you shouldn’t find love on an island, because that’s not how love works. I wanted to create the anti-dating dating show, which is all about healing, all about doing the work, all about confronting and facing the things we’ve been avoiding so people can truly find connection. I’m so glad Netflix saw me on tour three years ago and loved my show, which was full of experiments. I was bringing people up from the audience in real time, real life, and putting them through uncomfortable moments onstage. Netflix loved that concept and idea, and I’m so glad to bring it to them. Very, very excited about that.
PINKETT SMITH: I can’t wait, because you and I talk about this all the time; the romanticism around relationships is so unrealistic. I’m looking forward to seeing your approach.
SHETTY: I have to see if I win. I think online dating right now has a one in 10 success rate, so we’re going for 10 out of 10, with 10 singles.
PINKETT SMITH: Okay. Alright.
SHETTY: I’m putting myself to the test, so let’s see.
PINKETT SMITH: I’m looking forward to it.
SHETTY: Yeah, I love it. Thanks, Jada.
PINKETT SMITH: I love you.
SHETTY: You’re the best. You’re amazing. This honestly couldn’t have been better. Thank you. Truly, I mean it. You bring out the parts of me I want the world to see.
PINKETT SMITH: Well, I went light because listen, I really want—
SHETTY: You tried to go light, but you still made me go deep. That shows our relationship.
PINKETT SMITH: I always love talking to you.
SHETTY: Me too. I love you. You’re the best. Give my love to the family.
PINKETT SMITH: I will. We’ll see each other soon. I love you.
SHETTY: Yeah, I love you Jada. I love you. Bye. I love you.
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Grooming: Courtney Housner using UNITE Hair and Clarins.
Photography Assistant: Rory Hamovit.
Fashion Assistant: Sasha Campbell.
Production Director: Alexandra Weiss.
Photo Producer: Georgia Ford.
On-set Production: Jill Taymany.
Location: Sherman Oaks Antique Mall.
