The Smith family clearly does not shy away from controversy... Putting the Oscar slap aside, fans are digging up things from their past, like the time Will lost it on Jada during her Instagram Live. Nowadays, fans are blaming Will's 'Oscar' outburst on his unhealthy relationship with Jada.
Son Jaden isn't immune from the controversy either, this is the same son that once wanted to get emancipated from his parents as a minor. We'll take a look back at that ordeal, along with the odd request he had for his 15th birthday.
Why Did Jaden Smith Try To Move Out On His 15th Birthday?
In Will Smith's mind, the film 'After Earth' should've changed his son Jaden's career. It did change it, in the sense that it completely crushed it. The numbers were okay, however, it was the reviews that were very harsh and in Will's opinion, it was all cause of him and leading his son into such a project.
"Wild Wild West’ was less painful than ‘After Earth’ because my son was involved in ‘After Earth,’ and I led him into it. That was excruciating."
Although Jaden's career suffered, it wasn't an easier for Will. On the Monday, he was dealing with the dreadful box office numbers for the film and as if that wasn't hard enough, he would also get a call about his dad's cancer diagnosis. It was at that point in which Will took a different approach, “That Monday started the new phase of my life, a new concept: Only love is going to fill that hole,” Smith said. “You can’t win enough, you can’t have enough money, you can’t succeed enough. There is not enough. The only thing that will ever satiate that existential thirst is love. And I just remember that day I made the shift from wanting to be a winner to wanting to have the most powerful, deep and beautiful relationships I could possibly have.”
Things would also take a turn in Jaden's life, as he had a bold request for his parents.
Things Took A Turn Following Will And Jaden's Time Together In The Film 'After Earth'
Following the film's failure, things started to unravel between Jaden and Will. For his 15th birthday, Jaden made a bold request to his parents, asking if he could move out of the house and live alone. He was basically asking for emancipation from his parents.
Will recalls the moment, claiming he understood where his child was coming from, “He says, ‘Dad, I want to be emancipated.’ I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like ‘Ooh,’” said Will.
“That’s the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand,” he added.
Ultimately, it wasn't to be. Will admitted that he took a different approach to the situation, which didn't involve punishing his son for the request. “We generally don’t believe in punishment,” said Will.
“From the time Jaden was five or six, we would sit him down, and all he has to do is be able to explain why what he did was the right thing for his life. I think it’s a much more difficult question to ask someone – ‘Why was that right?’ – than to try to show them why it was wrong."
“Nobody wants to be wrong, all parts of yourself fight like crazy to not be wrong. So I’ll say to Jaden, ‘Why was that the right thing to do for your life?’ and if he can explain why kicking his sister in the chest was the right thing to do, we can see to it that he understands that it wasn’t so smart,” added Will.
For Jaden, his circumstances really weren't bad at home, and he would also admit to this himself.
Jaden Revealed That His Parents Told Him He Could Do Anything... Literally
Jaden's circumstances at home weren't exactly bad... Will's son admitted to this himself, claiming this mom and dad always said yes to him, and gave him the confidence to do whatever he wanted.
“My parents always told me that I could fly,” he told Big Boy. “My parents always told me that I could, you know, dig a hole to the next side of the earth.”
“I would always ask them if I could do things, they would always say yes.”
He definitely had it good at home and perhaps, a little too good...