Facebook
Jada Pinkett Smith's popular "Red Table Talk" is a casualty of cost-cutting at Facebook parent Meta, which is shutting down all Facebook originals -- Mina Lefevre, head of development and programming for Facebook Watch, is among 10,000 jobs being cut across the company.
Jada Pinkett Smith built a mini-empire by opening up about her life and familiy -- as well as other topics -- alongside her family on "Red Table Talk." The popular series also helped but Facebook Watch on the map.
Now, though, Facebook parent company Meta is looking to wipe that map clean, shuttering all original programming on the platform, per a report by Deadline. Mina Lefevre, who is head of development and programming for Facebook Watch, is also leaving the company, among 10,000 additional layoffs.
Facebook Watch
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View StoryAt one time Facebook Watch, under Lefevre's leadership, was pushing hard into the realm of original programming, with Elizabeth Olsen's "Sorry for Your Loss" and Jessica Biel's "Limetown" among others.
Now, the platform is canceling all of its programming, which would include "RTT" spinoff "Red Table Talk: The Estefans," Steve Harvey's "Steve on Watch," and JoJo Siwa's "JoJo Goes."
According to Deadline, "RTT" was considered the last remaining Watch original, and Westbrook Studios intends to shop it around in hopes of landing a new home. As noted by Variety, the series enjoyed 11 million followers on Facebook, which would be a healthy audience by modern standards.
Of all the programs that aired on Facebook Watch, "Red Table Talk" was the most buzzy and acclaimed. Across five seasons and 129 episodes, It picked up a Daytime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. The series has also generated countless headlines for intimate conversations with guests and shocking revelations about the Smith family themselves.
Red Table Talk
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View StoryThe most famous moment came when Jada admitted to an "entanglement" with singer August Alsina, and she and husband Will opened up about their marital challenges.
According to Deadline, Meta is shifting its focus to more VR-based entertainment in Meta Horizon Worlds, with many members of Lefevre's team shifting their focus in that direction, as well. Watch will remain as a video player for that content, which is intended to be shared across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
"Red Table Talk" features Jada hosting alongside daughter Willow, and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris. None of the women have commented yet on the cancellation. The last episode aired in December 2022.
