Strange Secrets Will Smith's Family Tried To Hide

Will Smith's strange family secrets

Will Smith is the male equivalent of America's sweetheart: even when his projects aren't that successful, you still root for him. He's charismatic, he's talented, he's handsome, he has a beautiful wife and kids…and, uh, yeah, about that last part? It's weird. That whole thing is weird.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have an allegedly open marriage

In 2013, Jada Pinkett Smith spoke to The Huffington Post about her marriage to Will, referring to her blockbuster star hubby as "his own man" and saying, "I'm here as his partner…He has to decide who he wants to be and that's not for me to do for him. Or vice versa." Many interpreted that as meaning the pair have an open relationship, as has been rumored for years.

There are a lot of cheating rumors

When Will was filming Focus (2015) with Margot Robbie in November 2013, it was rumored that he and the Aussie actress were mixing business with pleasure. While those rumors were never substantiated (and Robbie was in a relationship with Tom Ackerley), when the couple were cast together again in 2016's Suicide Squad, many wondered if that was deliberate so they could allegedly canoodle once more.

Meanwhile, Jada was linked to her HawthoRNe co-star Marc Anthony in August 2011 after he and Jennifer Lopez announced their divorce. In June 2013, Jada took to her Facebook page to share her views on infidelity, though she declined to confirm or deny the speculation about her personal life.

Will and Jada have been accused of "bearding

Tabloids reported in March 2012 that Will may be in a quiet relationship with actor Duane Martin, and that their alleged companionship was a serious threat to his marriage. Martin is married too—to Martin star Tisha Campbell-Martin. Rumors have circulated for years that Jada is also gay or bisexual and that the couple's marriage is an arrangement, carefully orchestrated by publicists and management. The Smiths have not publicly responded to that gossip.

Rumors of a split just won't stop

The Smiths might be secret Scientologists

The Smiths have adamantly denied any involvement in the controversial Church of Scientology, but rumors persist due to the wealth of connections the family has to the religion. Showbiz 411 reports that Will's former business partner, James Lassiter, warned him about the possibility of Scientology interfering with his career. A former principal at the school that Will and Jada founded, the New Village Leadership Academy, told Radar Online the curriculum is Scientology-focused. The Smiths are BFFs with notorious Scientologist Tom Cruise. On top of all that, some have dubbed After Earth (2013), starring Will and son Jaden Smith, a Scientology propaganda film.

Will and Jada disagree on how to raise the kids

When the 2014 remake of Annie was in development, Will was a producer and initially planned on having daughter Willow Smith star in the titular role. More split rumors began to spread when Willow quit the movie to "just be 12." Sources speculated that Will wanted to push the kids into show business more than his wife did. This alleged difference of opinion may also explain why Jaden has kept a low profile professionally since After Earth bombed in 2013.

The Smith children are very special snowflakes

Beyond their entertainment industry upbringing, the Smith children often run into trouble just from running their mouths—or their Twitter accounts—too much. While there's been plenty of coverage online concerning Jaden's eccentric and esoteric remarks, sister Willow isn't much better. Though she's generally regarded as more polite and professional than her big brother, the hair-whipping starlet still has some interesting opinions. For example, when The New York Times asked her how she views time, Willow explained, without irony, "I mean, time for me, I can make it go slow or fast, however I please, and that's how I know it doesn't exist."

Will and Jada don't believe in disciplining their kids

In 2013, when Metro asked Will when the last time he punished Jaden was, he gave a telling (and Scientology-sounding) reply. "We don't do punishment," Smith said (via E! News). "The way that we deal with our kids is, they are responsible for their lives. Our concept is, as young as possible, give them as much control over their lives as possible and the concept of punishment, our experience has been—it has a little too much of a negative quality." He continued, "So when they do things—and you know, Jaden, he's done things—you can do anything you want as long as you can explain to me why that was the right thing to do for your life."

Of course, Jaden was on board with that strategy, saying it "works pretty well." For example, "Other teenagers go to parties and sometimes I be like, 'Why am I here right now?' And most of the time, I just leave right then and there," he said. "Some things I don't like to do, that other teenagers do. Everyone thinks that since you make movies, you go to parties, and I like to party, but not normal teenage parties."

Will may regret that decision


In an interview with A.Dot (via Vanity Fair), Will acknowledged his kids' kooky interviews in the context of his lack of discipline and admitted, "Yeah, it may have been a mistake…I think we might have gone too far."

Still, he defends his son's ideas, adding that while the public may mock his ramblings. "Jaden is 100 percent fearless, he will do anything. So as a parent it's scary, it's really terrifying, but he is completely willing to live and die by his own artistic decisions and he just doesn't concern himself with what people think."

Jaden's girlfriend might be trouble

Jaden's girlfriend, Sarah Snyder, may not be the best influence on the free-wheeling youngster. Page Six reports a 21-year-old Snyder was arrested in June 2015 for allegedly stealing a $15,000 Hermes bag from a New York mall. Though charges were later dropped, she did not seem remorseful or scared at all about the prospect of a criminal record, even modeling her own mugshot on a shirt. According to Hollywood Life, Snyder may have been busted for breaking and entering in 2013.

Willow had an unusual relationship with an adult man


In 2014, when Willow was just 13 years old, she was photographed, fully clothed, in bed with Hannah Montana star Moises Arias, who was shirtless and 20 at the time. According to TMZ, Will and Jada dismissed the photo shoot as "an expression of art," noting what Willow was "very mature." Fair enough. "Here's the deal. There was nothing sexual about that picture or that situation," Jada told TMZ. "You guys are projecting your trash onto it, and you're acting like covert pedophiles and that's not cool."