Emotional Trials
Jada was aware of the incredibly negative effects that early fame had had on Jaden. She recalled just how emotionally distraught he was after The Karate Kid was released, and said, “I remember the moment because I asked [Jaden], [and he] went into that full split… He was in tears, and I was like, ‘I’m done.’” Luckily for Jada, her son was a true fighter, and eventually managed to deal with all the pressure and the hardships.
Jada revealed her son’s incredibly brave reaction when she was ready to throw in the towel, “He looked at me like, ‘Mom, I’m good’, got up, and said, ‘Let’s do it again.’”
Film Debut
Willow wasn’t the only child in the Smith family that found themselves being pushed towards the spotlight at a very young age. Jaden, Willow’s older brother, first became widely known after he was cast in the role of Chris Gardner’s son, Christopher in Will Smith’s highly successful nonfiction drama film, The Pursuit of Happiness.
The movie was enormously successful and garnered widespread acclaim. This caused Jaden to instantly became a child celebrity, and he also felt that being pushed so early into fame caused various problems throughout his life. There was one film in particular though that Jaden felt really damaged him as a child.
First Lead Role
Jaden opened up about his traumatic experiences after appearing in the 2010’s martial arts film The Karate Kid. The young actor explained, “I went through the same thing that Willow went through with “Whip My Hair” with The Karate Kid. It was happening at the same time.” The film starred Jackie Chan and was effectively Jaden’s first lead role in a film.
While he had a key role in The Pursuit of Happiness back in 2006, it was a heartfelt film and his contribution was more of a supporting role. Now that he was the star of a popular film, this opened him up to all sorts of criticism and judgment that often come with so much attention.
Jada Doesn't Preach
While they have certainly made mistakes, the loving Smith parents have more than made up for them with the immense love, support and freedom they provide their children. Despite their successful marriage and loving family, Jada is quite apprehensive about sharing parenting advice with others, especially considering her children’s unique circumstances.
“Every child needs something different,” Jada explains. Which may be her way of saying 'don't you dare judge our children'.
Getting Vulnerable
The exciting and tear-filled Red Table Talk episode wasn’t the only time that Jada gave her fans an emotional and moving to peek into her life story. Back in 2018, she shared a very personal secret that left many of her fans in tears.
This was one of the hardest things for Jada to ever share on live TV, which says a lot when you consider how open she is as a person.