Tag: Oscars

Will Smith’s net worth is $350 million.

Will Smith is certainly a man who needs no introduction. Bursting onto the scene as a young rapper, the Fresh Prince moved on to become one of the most recognizable faces in the industry today. Thanks to his major Hollywood roles and shrewd business investments, the proud Philadelphian is now worth a whopping $350 million. 

Name	Willard Carroll Smith Jr.
Profession	Actor, Singer
Net Worth	$350 million
Birthday	September 25, 1968 (Libra)
Birthplace	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Relationship Status	Married (to Jada Pinkett Smith)

The Prince Takes His Throne: Early Life and Breakthrough

Before becoming a major Hollywood icon, superstar Will Smith began his career in music. In 1986, Smith created a rap group with close friend Jeffrey Townes, who he had met at school five years earlier. The two formed a duo called DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Thanks to his exuberant charisma, Will Smith was already nicknamed “Prince Charming” in high school, which inspired his stage name. 

Label Def Jam signed the duo, who released their first single Girls Ain’t Nothin but Trouble in 1986, followed by an album called Rock the House. But it wasn’t until 1988 that the pair was recognized as they won a Grammy Award for the single Parents Just Don’t Understand, becoming the first-ever winner in the “Best Rap Performance” category. The duo’s music was labelled “light rap” due to its lack of hardcore references or explicit material. 

Smith’s success in the music world garnered the attention of television producers, and in 1990, a TV show loosely based on his life, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, made its way to American screens. The sitcom was a major hit, running for six seasons and earning Will Smith two Golden Globe nominations. 

Smith’s success on the small screen allowed him his first major breakthrough in the world of cinema, earning a role in the indie drama Where the Day Takes You in 1992. His first leading role came in 1993 in the comedy-drama Six Degrees of Separation, but Smith’s big breakthrough came in the 1995 action film Bad Boys. 

Although the film was not a commercial success, it highlighted Smith’s star power and acting skills. Only a year later, the Philadelphia native starred in the major hit Independence Day, the highest-grossing movie of the year.

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The Royal Coffers: Revenues From Will’s Primary Career

Before ever making his way onto the big screen, Will Smith had already earned $10 million in his short-lived career as a rapper. Thinking that this money would last forever, the young man splashed it on houses, cars and jewellery for himself and his loved ones. However, the public quickly got bored of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and the two were even called sell-outs. 

Due to this public criticism, Smith was reluctant to star in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but due to crippling debts and legal problems with the IRS, Smith felt like he had no choice but to accept the deal. Smith only saw this as an opportunity to get back on his feet, not knowing that this would be the role to catapult his career.

In the first three seasons of the sitcom, the 51-year-old earned $2.8 million, but he hardly saw any of it due to debts he had to pay back. Smith’s first major role on the big screen came in Bad Boys released in 1995, and 1 year later, he fought off aliens in The Independence Day. The actor earned a respectable $5 million for each one of these films. 

Smith’s charisma was evident, and these roles would cement Smith’s place as a lead actor in Hollywood. In 1997, he was chosen to be the lead actor in Men in Black, for which he recorded the Grammy-winning song “Gettin’ Jiggy With It”. For his role in this film, the Fresh Prince earned another $5 million. 

But it wasn’t until the sequel of this highly-grossing film that Smith would take home astronomical fees for his appearances on the big screen. For Men in Black 2, released in 2002, the Philly native reportedly earned $20 million plus 10% of box office earnings. 

Will Smith continued to show his versatility as an actor, playing different, unique characters each time. He starred as Muhammad Ali in the biopic Ali, for which he earned his first Oscar nomination in 2002. It’s not clear exactly how much he earned for this role, but it’s estimated he took home around $20 million and 20% of gross earnings. 

Will Smith’s next Oscar nomination would come in 2006 as he played the role of a father alongside his real son Jaden Smith in the major box-office hit The Pursuit of Happyness.

Will Smith’s star power was now more clear to see than ever; the Pursuit of Happyness was the superstar’s sixth #1 opening at the box office. Smith was awarded his second Oscar nomination as Best Actor, and he earned a whopping $71.4 million for this role as an emotional father trying to make ends meet. 

In 2007, Smith captured hearts all over the world in his role as a scientist and survivor of a modern plague in the post-apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend. It was the highest-ever grossing film in its opening week with earnings of $77 million, with the actor taking home $25 million.

Will Smith is still very much active as an actor today. In 2021, he won an Oscar for Best Actor for his appearance in King Richard, playing the role of Richard Williams, father of tennis superstars Serena and Venus Williams. For this role, he was handsomely rewarded with $40 million. 

Recently, he appeared in the 2022 film Emancipation, in which he plays the role of Peter, a slave who escapes a brutally aggressive owner. He reportedly earned $35 million for this dramatic role. 

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Expanding the Kingdom: Will’s Alternative Revenue Sources

Aside from his success as a music and movie star, Will Smith is also quite a shrewd businessman. He’s launched a few of his own ventures and invested in many promising startups. 

In 2015, he and his son Jaden Smith founded Just Water, an eco-friendly water startup. By 2019, the company was valued at $100 million, earning the right to become Ikea Australia’s exclusive water provider. 

Along with former Japanese soccer star Keisuke Honda, Smith is also the co-founder of Dreamers VC, a venture capital fund that connects Japanese investors with early-stage companies. In 2015, the 51-year-old actor invested $650,000 in digital artificial intelligence startup Biobeats which aims to create wearable devices that help with mental health. 

In 2019, at Tech Crunch’s Disrupt Conference, Smith was pitched by Socionado, a company that helps businesses with their social media presence. Thanks to a great pitch, the Hollywood star spontaneously decided to invest $10,000.

In 2022, Dreamers VC invested $4 million in oral care startup Better & Better, a company offering vitamin-infused toothpaste with plans to shake up the wellness industry. 

In total, Dreamers VC has a portfolio of 29 companies, with investments in 34 different startups. 

Holding (Basketball) Court: Will’s Notable Possessions & Philanthropy

Will Smith’s huge success has afforded him quite a luxurious lifestyle. He lives with his family at his Malibu Creek mansion in Calabasas, which features a basketball court, tennis courts, stables, a swimming pool, a private lake, and of course, a recording studio. This mega mansion is reportedly worth $42 million. 

The actor’s real estate portfolio doesn’t end there. In 2009, he and his wife forked out $14.5 million for a beach house in Hawaii, before reselling it for $20 million two years later. The couple also bought a compound in Hawaii in 2015, where Kareem Abdul Jabar formerly lived, before reselling it for a $2 million profit in 2017. 

Will Smith is also the proud owner of a classic Escalade from the 60s, a Maybach 57s, a Bentley Azure, a Mercedes Benz GL 450, and a lot more. 

Don’t think that Will is all about getting and not giving. He is associated with a number of charities, both as an individual and as part of his family. Solo, he lends his time to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which makes the dreams of children suffering from life-threatening diseases come true. Will has facilitated set visits and spent time with those kids who want to meet him. He also donates to the Broad Academy, the K-12 public education leadership program. The Smith family have given financial aid to the Lupus Foundation, and founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, which partners with several organizations and initiatives to improve a variety of matters: youth development, creative arts, social empowerment, and education. At the heart of the foundation is their desire to serve traditionally overlooked communities whose members may be undergoing tremendous difficulty.

The Poly Prince: Will’s Personal Life

Will Smith is famously married to Jada Pinkett Smith, with whom he has 2 children, Jaden and Willow Smith. However, not many people are aware that Will was previously married to Sheree Zampino, from 1992 to 1995. The two welcomed their first and only child to the world, Trey Smith, in 1992. Trey and his father Will had a difficult relationship for many years as Trey felt that the Hollywood star had abandoned his family. However, the two have mended ties and their relationship is strong today. 

Will met Jada as she unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of his girlfriend on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He was still married to Zampino at the time, but as he and Jada kept running into each other, he felt a deep connection with her. 

Smith and Zampino divorced, and only a day later the papers were filed, he contacted Jada, asking if she was seeing anyone. She said no, and the rest is history. Will Smith had to pay settlement fees of $900,000, as well as $24,000 a month in child support. In total, he has to pay approximately $288,000 per year.

Will Smith got married to Jada Pinkett Smith in 1997 as she was pregnant with their first child, Jaden Smith. They’ve now been married for over 25 years, but there have been a few hitches along the way. 

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In 2015, as the two separated for a brief time, Jada had a relationship with August Alsina, rapper and friend of her son Jaden Smith. As August was vacationing with the Smiths in Hawaii, he ended up falling in love with Jada. August Alsina spilled the beans on The Breakfast Club, even claiming that Will Smith gave him his blessing to date Jada. However, this was vehemently denied by the Hollywood star’s camp. 

Today, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are in a happy, polyamorous relationship.  

Major Events & Controversies

Though Will Smith has managed to maintain a positive public persona, he has not been immune to the odd controversy (or several controversies, as it were).

The Smiths were, at one point, associated with the Church of Scientology, thanks to a donation they reportedly made to a school that incorporated a teaching method conceived by the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Despite this connection, Will has denied ever belonging to the controversial religious sect.

Will and Jada have often been accused of being too permissive as parents. Case in point: When their daughter Willow was photographed in bed with a shirtless 20-year-old despite only being 13, the criticism went into overdrive. Overall, however, Will only wants the best for his kids—almost to a fault. He and son Jaden collaborated on the sci-fi flick After Earth in 2013. All was good until audiences reacted negatively to the film, calling it a vanity project and accusing Will of nepotism.

But perhaps the biggest controversy, though, is also the most recent. At the 2022 Oscars, Will took issue with a joke Chris Rock made at Jada’s expense. Taking matters into his own hands, Will mounted the stage and slapped Rock across the face. He returned to his seat where he shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!” The in-house audience—indeed, the world’s audience—were shocked into silence. Though Rock didn’t press charges, Smith was subsequently banned from the Oscars for 10 years.