Will Smith has opened up about his past, admitting he felt like a ‘coward’ for not protecting his mum from the abuse she suffered at the hands of his dad.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star appeared on a recent episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman where he discussed a whole manner of topics, from his rap origins to his spiritual explorations.
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.
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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.
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“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.”
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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’.
Another topic fans were hoping to hear about was, of course, the infamous Oscars slap.
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Most of you will be aware of the recent controversy whereby the King Richard star slapped Chris Rock across the face for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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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.
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Topics: Will Smith, Domestic Abuse, Netflix
Daisy Phillipson