| “ | In West Philadelphia, born and raised... | ” |
―One of Will Smith's most iconic lines, in the intro of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air |
Willard Carroll "Will" Smith Jr. (born: September 25, 1968 [age 54]) is an American actor, film producer, and musician, whose known for comedy or action films, and when it comes to music, rap and hip hop. He's undoubtedly best known for the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bell Air, which aired from 1990-1996, and ended with six seasons. That's how he got his start, however since then he's done tons of action and comedy films, often blending the two genres into one. Other notable works of his includes I Am Legend, Cobra Kai, All of Us, The Queen Latifa Show, and of course The Men in Black films, which he's almost as well known for as The Fresh Prince of Bell Air.
As a rapper, he's released a total of four studio albums, including Big Willie Style, (1997), Willennium, (1999), Born to Reign, (2002), and Lost and Found, (2005), one compilation album, which is Greatest Hits, (2002), and one video album, which was The Will Smith Music Video Collection, (1999).
Family
Will Smith was married to Sheree Zampino from 1992 to 1995. He then married Jada Pinkett in 1997, and they're still together to this day. They have three children together, including Willow and Jaden Smith, both of which also became actors and rappers.
Jada and Will's marriage was referenced in J. Cole's 2015 single, 'No Role Modelz'. However, this line was later seen as ironic due to Jada admitting to cheating on Will with singer August Alsina, as well as controversy regarding her past relationship with the late rapper 2Pac.
Controversy
Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
During the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, comedian Chris Rock was presenting the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature on stage when he made a joke about Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, about how she could have starred in G.I. Jane due to her shaved haircut. While Will and the rest of the audience appeared to enjoy Chris' joke, Jada did not as she was seen with an uncomfortable expression while everyone else was laughing at the joke. Will noticed that Jada did not like Chris' joke, so he walked up to the stage and slapped Chris before returning to his seat and yelling at Chris, telling him to keep Jada’s name out of his mouth.[1] Chris did not press charges against Will, and instead, he responded "Oh wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me." immediately after Will slapped him.
Will later apologized to the Academy and to the other nominees about slapping Chris Rock.[2][3][4], and would later apologize to Chris as well on an Instagram post.[5] Despite this, many YouTubers and streamers, such as Penguinz0, Pokimane, xQcOW, and AugieRFC, reacted to the incident.[6]
On April 2, 2022, Will announced his resignation to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as he was expecting that he will face suspension or expulsion from the organization.[7] The Academy later released their statement in April 9, 2022 that they suspended Will on attending the Academy Awards or any events by the Academy for a decade. However, he is still eligible for future Academy Award nominations and wins.[8]
On July 29, 2022, Will uploaded a YouTube video, explaining what he has been up to ever since the incident ensued. He also apologized to Chris' mother, his family, and to everyone who expressed their disappointment with Will that said they looked up to him before he slapped Chris.[9]
Quotes
- "Yeah! It's rewind time!" (Will in the beginning of YouTube Rewind 2018)
- "If I could control rewind, I would want Fortnite and Marques Brownlee."
- "Oh, that's hot!"
- "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth!" (Will yelling at Chris Rock shortly after slapping him at the 2022 Oscars, for making a bad joke about his wife)
- "Love will make you do crazy things."
- "I'm being called on in my life..."
- "Get out."
- "Ah!"
References
- ↑ //www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/index.html
- ↑ //www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-smith-oscar-best-actor-apology-slap-king-richard-1235119288/
- ↑ //www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/will-smith-appears-hit-chris-rock-joke-wife-rcna21775
- ↑ //www.wsj.com/livecoverage/oscars-academy-awards-2022/card/will-smith-takes-to-oscar-stage-appears-to-strike-chris-rock-after-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smith-20Zr7QDygQqZ31fHDlCT
- ↑ //www.instagram.com/p/CbqmaY1p7Pz/
- ↑ //www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tn0DWnbjxg
- ↑ //www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-smith-resigns-from-academy-membership-1235123801/
- ↑ //www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/academy-bans-will-smith-from-oscars-ten-years-1235127331/
- ↑ //www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXrxDKwlA_s