Will Smith's Family Discuss Their Family Life On New Show



The Smith’s are a family known worldwide, and they have often been the center of gossip, but does their new show reveal all? Let’s find out.

The Smiths


Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith are two legendary Hollywood actors with a great number of successful movies under their belt. They have often been the subject of media gossip ever since they first met in 1995. During their relationship, they have welcomed two children, Willow, and Jaden as well as Will’s son, Trey from a previous marriage. Recently, Willow opened up about her difficult relationship with her father.



ADVERTISEMENT

Celebrity Family


With the children being born into a celebrity family, it was something they didn’t find too easy. When all eyes are constantly on you, it can be hard to grow up in peace and with the space you need. The children have, however, blossomed into celebrities in their own right despite opening up about it causing some difficulty in their childhood.



ADVERTISEMENT

Real Name


Many do not know it but Will, isn’t just a Will at all, in fact, his real name is Willard Carroll Smith Jr and he was born on 25th September in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Smith admitted he never took to school too well and once he was able to make the choice, he chose to not attend college. How did he become an actor?

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Music career


His passion in life was to get into the music industry, and when he didn’t join a college, he set out on a career in rap music. This is where he formed a hip-hop act with good friend Jeffrey Townes, whom he had been friends with since they were kids. It was then that they became The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Grammy Award


In 1987, the duo released their first album, Rock the House which came together with Smith as the rapper while Townes mixed and produced the music. From there, their musical career skyrocketed, and it was only two years later that they won their first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. But trouble was around the corner.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

His Own Show


With Smith’s success came a reckless appreciation for money, and despite earning a lot of it, it was only in 1990 that he was weeks away from having to declare bankruptcy. And then his tables turned, as he landed his own TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Better yet, the show was not only created for him, but it premiered the same year.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Theme Tune


“In west Philadelphia born and raised, on a playground where I spent most of my days”, became the TV show theme tune that everybody knew, with people still singing it even now in 2018. The sitcom saw Smith, who played a teenager, sent off to live with his rich uncle and aunt, so he would stay out of trouble. This was a big stepping stone for Smith’s future and opened up many doors.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Exciting Career


The show ran up until 1996 and it put his acting career on fast forward, but that didn’t mean he gave up on music. Alongside Townes, they went on to release the smash hit single, Summertime, which scooped them yet another Grammy Award. Smith’s career has seen him latch onto our memories, with his music and film releases and these were no exception.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Mixing Acting With Music


Three of Smith’s most beloved movies are Independence Day, Bad Boys and the comedy Men in Black, each showing the actors skills for varied roles. While acting, there was no stopping his music career and yet again he went on to win a third Grammy Award. It seemed he was making his dreams come true following an interview he gave to Time Magazine.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Workaholic


In 2007, Smith told the magazine that when he was working on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he manifested that he would be “the biggest movie star in the world” and to help him achieve that, he would study successful people within the industry and develop his craft. Due to his dedication throughout his career, he is known as a workaholic, but is this what created a gap in his relationship with his daughter?

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

The Hollywood Reporter


He continued to work harder on his skills and during an interview The Hollywood Reporter in 2006, about how seriously he approached his job, he said, “Oh, God yes, an obsessive perfectionist. When I’m not working on acting in a film, I’m writing a script.”

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

No Time For Vacation


It seems Smith was obsessed with his work and without it, he couldn’t operate properly. It was much more to him than his job. In 2008, he spoke to Female First and confessed, “I can’t get comfortable if I’m not working. I literally have ten days of holiday a year.” So, was it his work ethic that disrupted his relationships?

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Best Actor


Following the success of Men in Black and Bad Boys, both movies released a sequel and there were more leading roles heading Smith’s way. He starred in romantic comedy Hitch, I Am Legend and the hugely successful Suicide Squad. His roles in other movies have also gained him an Oscar nomination.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

More Nominations


Smith echoed around the world after his fantastic portrayal of boxer Ali in movie Muhammad Ali and then again in The Pursuit of Happyness in which both earned him Academy Award nominations. It was then his role in Concussion that saw him nominated for a Golden Globe. In one movie he played alongside his son Jaden Smith.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Runs In The Family


The children of the Smith family have all followed in their father’s footsteps, with each establishing their own acting and/or music careers. Smith’s first son, Willard Carroll Smith III, also known as Trey has appeared in TV show All of Us. In 1995, Smith divorced Trey’s mum and went on to marry Jada Pinkett Smith in 1997.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

The Nutty Professor


Once Jada had auditioned for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith couldn’t stop thinking about her, and it was here that they started a romance. Jada, who is also an actress was born on September 18, 1971, in Baltimore, Maryland and it was in 1996 that her career launched when she appeared in The Nutty Professor.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Comedy Roles


More recently, Pinkett Smith played a role in comedies Girls Trip and Bad Moms and in her earlier days, she appeared in blockbuster movie sequels The Matrix. Another time the Smith family featured in the same movie, was when Jada worked alongside Smith in Ali.
Ali (2001)
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Birth Of Children


It was in 1998 that Will and Jada welcomed their son, only six months after tying the knot on December 31. It was two years later that their daughter Willow was born on October 31, 2000. When Jaden was younger, he not only starred alongside his dad in The Pursuit of Happyness but in the movie After Earth.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Willow’s Career


His daughter Willow, who spoke out about having problems with her father growing up, also played a key role alongside her Smith in his 2007 movie, I Am Legend. This lead who to featuring in her own movies, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. Taking inspiration from her dad, she had a strong music career.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

In The Charts


Music legend Jay Z, husband of Beyoncé, signed Willow to his record label Roc Nation, making her the youngest musician to be signed. In 2010, as her dad always did, she released a catchy song titled, Whip My Hair. The single landed at the 11th spot on the charts as well as going platinum. When did the controversy with her father begin?

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

No Album


Following this exciting time in her life, Willow than released another single, 21st Century Girl. After that, she seemed to disappear from the spotlight and her anticipated album never happened and it was something her fans couldn’t quite understand.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Family Movie


It was then in 2011 that the Smith family announced some exciting news. Smith would be producing a new adaptation of the Annie movie, with his daughter as the main role. However, the project didn’t really begin until two years later and by this time, Willow was seen as too old for the role. And it’s safe to say, this was something she wasn’t too happy about.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

17th Birthday


Out of the blue, in 2015, Willow excited fans by putting out her debut album titled, Ardipithecus. The album was unexpected as there was no media build-up prior to this. At just 17, Willow had already released her second album, The 1st and received great recognition for her mature sounding tracks.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

New Show


More recently, the Smith family have been working on their new talk show, Red Table Talk, which is getting into raw and emotional topics. This is where Willow spoke out about her relationship with her parents as she grew up in the spotlight. In December, Willow appeared alongside Jada’s half-brother Caleeb Pinkett and spoke out.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Forgiving


The show titles, Learning To Forgive. When Jada asked Willow a question about forgiveness, she unexpectedly opened up about her relationship with her parents. The impacts of fame at such a young age were heavy on Willow, she said “I never talk about it because it was such a short weird point in my life. But you have to pull yourself out of it.”

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Under Pressure


Feeling like her parents put pressure to become a celeb and release her own music, Willow said, “I definitely had to forgive you and daddy for that whole ‘Whip My Hair’ thing.” Explaining that Smith put way too much pressure on her to release the song when she knew she was far from ready. She continued.
Willow Smith, 17, Tells Mom Jada That ‘Monogamy’ Does Not Work for Her
https://www.facebook.com/redtabletalk/videos/578880002511479/
Credit: Red Table Talk/Facebook

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Building Up Trust


“It was mostly daddy because he was so harsh at certain times. It was a couple of years, honestly. Trying to regain trust for not feeling like I was being listened to or like no one cared how I felt.” Willow then went on to say, “I had to forgive myself because I felt guilty because everyone is trying to make me better, trying to make my dream. But I didn’t really understand what my dream entailed.”