Tragic Details About Jaden Smith
Despite coming from a wealthy family, Jaden Smith, the gifted son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in Hollywood, has had personal struggles. His journey is replete with triumphs and common challenges, from navigating celebrity at an early age to addressing mental health and global issues.
Smith has also drawn attention with his eccentricities, unique style, and unconventional remarks, which have occasionally resulted in criticism from the internet and social isolation.
This gifted person, who came from a well-known family, has faced unique obstacles in his public life as he searches for meaning and self-discovery. Let’s examine the dark sides of Jaden Smith’s journey.
Jaden Didn’t Have A Normal Childhood
Jaden Smith entered the spotlight at a young age, making his film debut at seven alongside his famous father, Will Smith, in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” He then pursued his own career in acting, music, and fashion. His notable roles include the 2010 remake of “The Karate Kid” and the TV series “The Get Down.” Like his sister Willow, Jaden acknowledges he didn’t have a typical childhood. He mentioned in a 2022 interview with Mr. Porter, “People were following me around when I was in a stroller. Before I could speak, I could feel the presence of people I didn’t know who were interested in me.”
While Smith appreciates the advantages of being a celebrity, he often longs for a regular life with regular people due to the pressure and constant public attention. When working on the film “Skate Kitchen,” he had the chance to connect with a tight-knit community. This experience was emotionally healing for him, and in a 2018 interview with Dazed, he shared, “People treat me like I’m not a normal human so much, that you start to believe [it], like, ‘Am I not a normal human?'”. He questioned this, saying, “I didn’t always get to hang out with normal people when I was young. So being older and being able to hang out with the big kids and play with normal people is fun.”
The Terrible Movie Experience That Made Jaden Quit Acting
2013 saw Jaden Smith take on a new sci-fi film project named “After Earth,” in which he once more starred alongside his father, Will Smith. Regretfully, the movie was a huge failure despite great hopes.
Not only did it do badly at the box office, but it was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards in 2014 for the worst movie performances. These dishonorable awards went to Smith and his father as well: Smith won “worst actor,” while Will took home the title of “worst supporting actor.” They also won the prize for “worst screen combo” as a group.
In his memoir “Will,” Will Smith expressed regret about the film. He wrote, “‘After Earth’ was a terrible failure both in the box office and with critics. What was even worse was that Jaden bore the brunt of it.
Fans and the media were extremely harsh … Jaden had faithfully followed all my instructions, and I had guided him into one of the worst public criticisms he had ever faced.” Following this significant setback, Jaden Smith chose to step back from acting for a while, eventually returning for “Skate Kitchen,” released in 2018.
He explained to USA Today that year, “The roles I was offered weren’t really what I was looking for. Nothing felt truly essential for me to be in until [‘Skate Kitchen’] came along.”
Jaden Asked For Emancipation At 15
Jaden Smith, then 15 years old, shocked his parents when he filed for emancipation—a legal procedure that enables a minor to become legally recognized as an adult and become independent of their parents or guardians. This devastated his father, Will Smith, who wrote in his memoir, “My heart shattered.”
Jaden Said He Felt Shunned By The Black Community
The topic of “mom-shaming” was covered by Jaden Smith’s sister Willow Smith and mother Jada Pinkett Smith in a 2020 episode of “Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch. Jada stated that she felt that the Black community was criticizing her parenting style and that she did not follow the traditional expectations placed on Black girls. She was also criticized for allowing Jaden to express himself through his clothes and for letting Willow shave her head.
Willow shared that she and her brother felt excluded from the community for being different. She said, “Specifically with the African American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit, like, ‘We’re not gonna take pride in them because they’re too different.'” She also mentioned that some family members may have thought the same. Fortunately, both she and Jaden don’t seem to be affected by the negativity. In 2018, Jaden Smith tweeted, “If I Wanna Wear A Dress, Then I Will, And That Will Set The New Wave …” and he has continued to express himself freely since then.
He Struggles With His Mental Health
Over the years, Jaden Smith has openly discussed facing depression and anxiety, as reported by The Times of India. His mother, Jade Pinkett Smith, introduced him to psychedelic drugs after they helped her with her own mental health struggles. During an episode of “Red Table Talk” in 2021 (via Facebook Watch), Smith shared how this experience led to a significant shift in his perspective: “For the first time, I had, like, an ego dissolution where I was like … that was the moment that really changed me. You get to a place in your life where you’re blocked by something, whether it’s a trauma, whether it’s your emotions, your ego, and not being able to express yourself, and then I feel like psychedelics are a way to tear down that wall and see what’s beyond it.”
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Jaden Has Dealt With Body-Shaming And Health Issues
While Jaden Smith has always maintained his fitness, he only recently began prioritizing his health. In a 2019 episode of “Red Table Talk,” it was revealed that after adopting a vegetarian diet, Smith started to look “drained” and “depleted” (via Facebook Watch). Concerned for his well-being, his parents staged an intervention to address his eating habits. Smith confessed on the show, “I was just eating like two meals a day … maybe one,” explaining that sometimes he’d miss meals altogether.
Following the intervention, Smith shared in another 2021 episode of “Red Table Talk” that he consulted a doctor who identified his sugary diet as the cause of his gut problems and low appetite. Over the course of a few years, he managed to gain weight, significantly improving his overall health. He said, “I was able to work with the doctors and really get my vitamins and different supplements and, you know, protein shakes, and that’s half of my diet.” Despite his progress, Smith still faces body shaming online. In October 2023, he posted a side-by-side comparison of his transformation to address his critics, writing, “Haters Will Post The One On The Left And Ignore The One On The Right …”
Jaden And Willow Struggled With Their Parents’ Rocky Marriage
For many years, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith openly discussed their marriage. In a 2023 interview prior to the release of Jada’s memoir, “Worthy,” she revealed that she and Will had been separated since 2016 (via CNN). Their famous children hadn’t spoken publicly about the situation, and it was unclear how they felt. In October 2023, an insider told Entertainment Tonight that Willow Smith and Jaden Smith “feel bad for their dad with all the recent headlines about their parents.” Additionally, they “wish some of their family’s private matters remained private.”
Despite the discomfort, it seems the Smith kids are ultimately relieved that the truth is out. A source told the Daily Mail: “Although Jaden and Willow love their mom to no end and take on many of her behaviors and traits, they are very relieved the news is finally out there so everyone can just get on with it … ” The source continued, emphasizing the burden of keeping such a huge secret. The siblings became “agitated,” and “they would constantly get in fights with each other and with [their parents],” the source added. Jaden Smith, in particular, found it hard to cope with the issues surrounding his parents’ marriage. “Jaden has had so many issues with them, and this has always really been hard for him to deal with,” the Daily Mail insider confirmed.
Source: nickiswift
Tragic Details About Jaden Smith
