Will Smith Felt Like A 'Coward' For Not Protecting Mum From Abuse

The pair also touched upon Smith’s recent memoir Will, which the 53-year-old star described as a ‘labour of excruciating discovery’ as he had to dig into how he truly felt about various events throughout his life. 

As they discussed the purpose of the book, Smith spoke about his parents – the late ​​Willard Carroll Smith Sr. and Caroline Bright. 

“What I realised, there’s a person that you want to be and there’s a person you want to be viewed as, and then there’s who you really are,” Smith said. 

“The first line of the first chapter is, ‘I’ve always thought of myself as a coward.’ 

“When I was nine years old I saw my father beat up my mother and I didn’t do anything. And that just left a traumatic impression of myself as a coward.

“And then when I discovered comedy I realised negativity cannot exist inside of a human body when you’re laughing.”

He continued: “I started to cling to a natural ability I had to make people laugh. So it started as a defence mechanism. 

“But ultimately Will Smith became a symbol of joy and fun, and when I showed up I wanted people to feel good and to be happy because I’ve found that when my household was that way, I felt safe.”

Highlighting Smith’s numerous appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman over the years, the host said: “That’s the guy that we know from when you would visit us on the show,” adding that for Will it was a ‘means of surviving’. 

However, as is highlighted at the start of the episode, it was recorded prior to the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony and so there was no way it could’ve featured in the show.