*Will Smith has revealed that he was left brokenhearted when his youngest son, Jaden Smith, asked about becoming an emancipated minor at 15.
The moment occurred amid media scrutiny after the pair’s 2013 film “After Earth” bombed at the box office.
“‘After Earth’ was an abysmal box office and critical failure,” Smith writes in his upcoming memoir, “Will,” in an excerpt obtained by People.
“And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit. Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat. Jaden had faithfully done everything that I’d instructed him to do, and I had coached him into the worst public mauling he’d ever experienced.”
Smith noted that Jaden “felt misled, and he lost his trust in my leadership,” Smith wrote. That’s when Jaden asked about being emancipated at age 15.
“At fifteen years old, when Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you’ve hurt your kids,” Smith wrote, according to People.
Smith shares Jaden, 23, and daughter Willow, 21, with Jada Pinkett Smith. He also shares 28-year-old son Trey Smith with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino.
Meanwhile, in the latest episode of her AppleTV+ series “The Oprah Conversation,” Winfrey chops it up with Will about his upcoming memoir.
While mentioning a paragraph in which Smith addressed his separation from Jada, whom he married back in 1997, the actor provided more clarity for those who believe the two were in an “open relationship.”
“Ya know… It’s really funny… We didn’t… We never actually like officially separated,” Will replied. However, he explained that their relationship took a drastic turn following an argument during Jada’s 40th birthday. He spent three years planning an elaborate party and apparently she hated the whole thing.
“We realized that it was a fantasy illusion that we could make each other happy,” Will said. “We agreed that she had to make herself happy and I had to make myself happy. Then we were going to present ourselves back to the relationship already happy — versus demanding that the other person fill our empty cup.” He said, “We just decided, ‘You have to figure out how to be happy.” Though he admitted it was more “contentious” from his side, telling Jada: “‘Go figure out if you can be happy and prove to me it’s even possible.’ I’m gonna do me and you do you.”
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