Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Chiiile … Will has been going through it in 2023! It’s only November, but I’m sure he’s waiting for the clock to strike midnight on Jan. 1, 2024 because this year wasn’t kind to him at all. And as a fan, it’s painful to watch him having such a crazy year that most folks don’t really seem to think he deserves.
As Cardi B put it in her recent Instagram Live, Will is such an “unproblematic” guy. Is he perfect? No, and the Oscar slap is evidence of that, but he has continuously aimed for the highest version of himself in all that we’ve seen of him. He’s been the guy who’s admitted when he was wrong, sought to make amends for wrongdoing and pushed himself to grow with each new year of life. So, when I saw Will’s Instagram post the other day, bemoaning the hardship of adulthood, I had to send our favorite Fresh Prince some love.
So, respectfully, y’all gon’ back the hell up off of Willard C. Smith Jr. This man holds a very special place in the hearts and minds of damn near every Black person born after the Baby Boomer generation. (And at a minimum, I know I speak on behalf of millennials; we rock with Will Smith).
In the midst of an era dominated by street life and gangsta rap, he taught us that it was OK to be concerned with just having a good time. Everything didn’t have to be do or die Bedstuy! Manhood wasn’t defined by one overplayed note of gargoyled macho bravado and anger. Will is that guy who showcased for young Black men and boys another facet of Black manhood. He showed that it was OK to be the fun-loving, goofy and free-spirited guy with the jokes that got you through the day (or algebra class at least). Everything didn’t have to be wrapped in the toxicity of thug life.
Models of that version of manhood are as necessary today as they were 30 years ago. With new allegations of abuse and mistreatment from male celebrities making headlines damn near every day — from Diddy to Darius Jackson to Jonathan Majors — a girl can be appreciative of a guy like Will. An “unproblematic” guy. A non-toxic guy. A guy who knows how to treat women. (And just other human beings period, for that matter.)
And Will is not alone, so we really have to do a better job as a society of celebrating men like him for the peace and joy that they bring to the world. Entirely too much of our attention is being occupied by the world’s toxic men.
So, in honor of giving some much-needed love to the guy who’s given us countless laughs, here’s a quick non-exhaustive list of all the reasons why we love Will.
He literally gave us “Just the Two of Us.”
How often did we hear men talk about fatherhood — let alone sing about it? Will’s beautiful 1998 dedication to his first-born son in “Just the Two of Us” was exactly the trailblazing, carving-my-own-lane type of expression that we love Will for. A new generation of men has been birthed into a world where songs like this exist. They’ve become fathers with anthems like this on their playlists. It may seem small, but it matters.
And he gave us fun music to bop to.
Will’s music ranged from the heartfelt to the fun summertime jams we all know and love. (And to all those who pretend they never did the “Gettin Jiggy With It” shimmy — stop the cap.) Between the Jiggy anthem, “Summertime,” “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” and need I say the “Fresh Prince” theme song that lives rent-free in our heads, this man created the soundtrack for the jolly-ass kid that lives in all of us. Everybody, even the Baby Boomers, has at least one Will Smith song on their playlist, and I put that on Judge Phillip Zeke Banks.
His movies go hard — both the serious and the not-so-serious.
The fact that there are four “Bad Boys” movies, three “Men in Black” movies and two iconic Oscar-nomination-worthy portrayals in “Ali” and “King Richard” (he won for the role) says a lot about Will’s talent and range as an actor. He knows how to give the people what they want. (Except for that time when he made “Wild Wild West,” but we still love him.) Whether it’s “Independence Day,” “Enemy of the State” or a silly movie like “Hitch,” Will made many of those childhood Friday night Blockbuster movie runs feel like magic.
He keeps us laughing.
Ever since he turned that Bel-Air prep jacket inside out and made his first joke about Carlton’s height, we have been laughing with this man. Will has been like our kid brother or favorite cousin, and he’s felt like he’s been a part of our lives forever. As we’ve grown, he’s grown, but the thing that has remained constant is that he keeps us laughing. From his movies to even his silly ass Instagram, you can always count on him for a good laugh.
He’s an active and present dad.
People have lots to say about the Smith kids, but they cannot say they don’t love their dad. They cannot say that he’s not shown them tremendous love and devotion that go beyond song lyrics. And they are good kids! Will is the type of dad that so many people wish they’d had. He gives love to his children, and that’s overwhelmingly evident.
He gave us “The Fresh Prince,” duh.
The laughs. The father-son bonding. The Aunt Vivs — plural. The Ashley, Carlton and Hillary of it all. And our beloved Geoffrey. Will was the glue that tied all of these characters together. He was the humor that brought laughter to our childhood. Just as Uncle Phil felt like a father to many who were fatherless, Will felt like the goofy friend, brother, or cousin that we couldn’t help but to love. We happily invited him into our living room for years. He feels part of our collective family.
So, as we see him going through a tough year, we wish him well. Because as I said before, we rock with Will. And we know that a lot of what he’s had to deal with says way more about other people than it could ever say about him.
Kamaria is an attorney, poet, writer, and lover of all things created #ForTheCulture. She runs a blog, ‘Words of My Mother,’ has lived all over the DMV (heavy on the V), and enjoys skating, debating, and car karaoke. (Because, why not?!) She can be reached on Twitter at @like_tha_moon.
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