Whatever Happened To Jaden Smith?

Jaden Smith was born to Hollywood royalty. As the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jaden Smith has always lived an extremely glamorous life. When he was just a kid, Jaden made his acting debut alongside his father in the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed film "The Pursuit of Happyness." Jaden Smith's stunning transformation continued when he was cast as Dre Parker in 2010's "The Karate Kid," a loose remake of the 1984 film of the same name. 

Since his "Karate Kid" days, Jaden's life has been a little more low-key. Sure, his family has been in the news — Will and Jada have proven to have one of the hardest relationships in Hollywood for outsiders to understand, and Will famously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars — but Jaden himself hasn't made nearly as many headlines. But don't mistake low-key for being out of commission. Jaden is still very hard at work. Here's what he's been up to since the early 2010s. 

Two major pieces of work defined 2010 for Jaden Smith: his film "The Karate Kid" and his verse on the Justin Bieber hit "Never Say Never." Jaden has maintained an affinity for both music and acting, but he focused more on the former after his successful year to start the decade. The young star worked hard on his craft, and in 2012, he released his solo single, "Give It to Em," and a mixtape called "The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 1." In 2014, Jaden followed up the mixtape with a second one called "CTV2."

Jaden started his career at a very young age because of his parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who have always been very supportive of him trying different avenues. As Will shared in an interview with

Oprah

early in Jaden's life, "I'm totally comfortable with [my kids] getting to work and being in the world and understanding the nature of production, producing something for the world. I think sometimes in America in particular we hold the kids from that experience of work and the nature of producing in the universe."

Jaden Smith is no stranger to working with his father, Will Smith — the father-son duo starred in 2006's "The Pursuit of Happyness" together, and Will was a producer of Jaden's 2010 film "The Karate Kid" — and the two teamed up again in 2013 for the film "After Earth," along with Zoë Kravitz and David Denman. At the time of the film's release, Jaden was very pleased with the experience of working with his father and envisioned them teaming up again. "I definitely would do another one, absolutely. You know, how Johnny Depp and Tim Burton always do movies together, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio? We'll have a relationship like that," Jaden said in an interview with Vulture. "If you were a student of the pattern, you'd have to say we're going to do another one," Will added.

Unfortunately, unlike the movies Depp does with Burton and Scorsese does with DiCaprio, Jaden and Will's film "After Earth" did not fare well among, well, anyone. "After Earth" aggregated a staggeringly low 12% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics, and only 36% of general audiences had good things to say about it. The film did well at the box office thanks to a strong international showing, but Will was still very disappointed in the overall outcome. "Don't let success go to your head and failure go to your heart. That was a valuable lesson for me a few years ago with 'After Earth.' That was the most painful failure in my career," Will told Esquire, adding that it was particularly difficult because Jaden was involved.

In 2013, a rumor started that Jaden Smith was seeking emancipation from his parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Given the Smith family's status in Hollywood, the rumor took on a life of its own, and given the gravity of the claim, people were concerned. Not long after the rumors surfaced, Jaden and Will appeared on an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to clear things up. "I'm not going anywhere," Jaden said. "The thing that people don't get is everything at his house is free," he added, pointing to Will. "I think I'mma be there for 20, 30 more years," he joked. When asked how the rumor began, Will said that he had made a joke previously that was taken out of context.

Years later, however, Will revealed that there was more truth to the emancipation rumor than the family had let on. As he shared in his memoir "Will," Jaden was upset with his father over their "After Earth" failure. "Jaden took the hit. Fans and the press were absolutely vicious ... 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," the actor wrote, as noted by People. "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," Will said. It's unclear whether Jaden took any action toward becoming emancipated, but he did live with his parents for another few years after the ordeal.

Jaden Smith also has an affinity for fashion, and in 2016, he became a legitimate high-fashion model. That year, Smith appeared in Vogue Korea and starred in a womenswear campaign for Louis Vuitton. In both features, Smith wore a skirt, and he faced major backlash for his wardrobe choices. Smith was aware of the noise, but he didn't let it affect his choices. "The world is going to keep bashing me for whatever I do, and I'm going to keep not caring. I'm going to keep doing the same things — I'm going to keep doing more things. I'm going to take most of the blows for my fellow MSFTS," Smith told Nylon, as reported by Time. Smith continued, "I'm taking the brunt of it so that later on, my kids and the next generations of kids will all think that certain things are normal that weren't expected before my time."

Smith also mentioned his brand in the interview – MSFTSrep. The star started the brand with his sister and a couple of other child stars in 2012, and it's still alive today with various pieces of clothing and accessories for sale. MSFTSrep is just one of the ways Smith has stayed involved in fashion over the years. He's also continued shooting ad campaigns, appearing on magazine covers, and attending the Met Gala on and off. The star is also a fixture at various fashion weeks, always sporting unique garments and seeking ways to be more creative in his own pursuits.

Jaden Smith never went through with emancipating himself from his parents, but he did eventually move out. In 2017, Jaden and his sister, Willow Smith, moved into a $4 million home (one of his parents' properties — coincidentally not too far from his friend and ex-girlfriend Kylie Jenner) in Hidden Hills, a ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood. "It's funny, they're not around, but they are!" Jada Pinkett Smith said in an interview with Haute Living of her children moving out. "I don't even have time to miss them! Willow loves to call me every day, and even Jaden, when he's away on set, still needs to see Will and I when he gets homesick," she added.

Apparently, not everyone was so thrilled with Jaden and Willow's move. "This was a quiet neighborhood, but Jaden and his entourage are turning it into their own personal kingdom," another resident of the neighborhood told the Daily Mail. "He has a sense of entitlement, bravado. He doesn't care if security reprimands him or gives him a warning, he just continues to do whatever he pleases."

Jaden Smith has remained active in Hollywood since the beginning of his career, though not all of his projects have had mainstream success. In 2018, Smith was part of the movie "Skate Kitchen," a drama about female skateboarders in New York City. "It was an amazing experience, and I love the way that Crystal directs. It really reminds me of how I want to direct in the future, so she is really a huge inspiration for me," Smith told Refinery 29 of his experience working on the film. Around this time, Smith lent his voice to the animated TV series "Neo Yokio."

Smith wasn't solely focused on acting at the time, though. He released the album "Erys" in 2019. "It's pretty much the story of a young man named Erys. He lives in Los Angeles, but it's in a world where Los Angeles has almost been destroyed a little bit," Smith told Rolling Stone of the album. "Erys decides to be the leader and take over the city. He gains control of everyone by the means of fear almost. It doesn't end well for him." Even if his work is flying under the radar, Smith is staying busy. But it seems he only wants to stay busy with projects he cares about. "I do get approached a lot now because everybody in this day and age is trying to be a filmmaker and create art, but I don't necessarily get approached by things I am really excited about or are really serious," he said.

Jaden Smith is a lot of things, but he's not selfish. The young star has used his resources to positively impact those in crisis and the less fortunate. In 2019, Smith opened the I Love You Restaurant, a food truck that disseminated free vegan meals to homeless people in Los Angeles. "[I Love You Restaurant] is a movement that is all about giving people what they deserve, healthy, vegan food for free," Smith said of his food truck on Instagram, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Parked next to the food truck was another truck promoting the album Smith was about to release at the time; nevertheless, the I Love You Restaurant made a difference. In 2022, Smith brought out the food truck again to serve the people of Skid Row.

Smith stayed charitable throughout 2019. That year, he made it his mission to help the residents of Flint, Michigan, amid their water crisis (something likely inspired by Jaden Smith's water company). Smith started by sending bottles of water to Flint, and then, in an effort to make his work more efficient, he donated multiple water filtration systems to the city for residents to fill buckets of water for free. Smith has also worked with other organizations, and he's been inspired by the good work other people are doing. "We can make a difference. We can do things. There are other people out there who really do care," Smith said in an interview for the Brave Blue World Foundation. "There's a huge group of people out there that really, really cares. We're not big enough yet, but we will get there."

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith used to be seriously concerned about Jaden Smith's health. On an episode of "Red Table Talk" in 2019, Jaden's parents, Will and Jada, shared that they had to have a serious conversation with their son as they worried about his health amid his new diet. "Will and I had a bit of an intervention with Jaden because he's a vegan now, but we realized he wasn't getting enough protein. He was wasting away. He just looked drained. He was just depleted; he wasn't getting the nutrients," Jada said. Will added that Jaden had dark circles under his eyes and that his skin looked gray.

The conversation with Jaden went well, and the young star adapted his diet to include more protein. While he still eats some vegan meals, his diet is mostly vegetarian. "I was able to work with the doctors and really get my vitamins and get my supplements and protein shakes. That's half of my diet. It's like a password that I have to find to my body. I'm like, 10 pounds heavier now at this point," Jaden said in an episode of "Red Table Talk" in 2021. Jaden shared another update in 2023 on X, posting side-by-side photos of his body's transformation. "Haters Will Post The One On The Left And Ignore The One On The Right," he tweeted. "Like, Damn Can A Man Have His Phases."

Jaden Smith and Justin Bieber go way back. The duo has been friends since their "Never Say Never" days, and Bieber has invited Smith on stage and on tour with him a number of times, including in 2020 for the "Changes Tour." Unfortunately, the tour hit some snags and began downsizing venues and cutting dates in early March, and ultimately, in early April, the tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic left Bieber and Smith doing what most other people in the world were doing — staying at home — but after restrictions were lifted, as well as a second postponement, a new album release from Bieber, and a tour name change (the "Changes Tour" became the "Justice World Tour"), Smith joined Bieber on the road in 2022.

The issues didn't stop for the musicians, unfortunately. In September 2022, just months after beginning his tour, Bieber was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare illness that causes facial paralysis. The singer initially postponed dates again, but he ultimately canceled the remainder of his tour to focus on his health, meaning Smith was done touring, too. Smith may not have been upset by the cancellation, though — in 2017, after Bieber canceled the last leg of his "Purpose World Tour" due to mental health concerns, Smith was nothing but supportive. "He's just an amazing guy — life is hard, you know? We all go through things but the difference between other people is that no one knows about it," Smith said to Entertainment Tonight (via Celeb Mix).

If anyone is uncertain about what Jaden Smith is up to, a safe bet is that he's making music. The star has proven that his most enduring passion is music, and he continues to create and release whenever he finds inspiration. In 2024, Smith dropped a project called "2024: A Case Study on the Long Term Effects of Young Love." Smith said of the EP to Billboard, "It's just about the case study of young love and really just the mental landscape of young people right now dealing in a world with social media, dealing in a world with internet and how that changes mental health and what people are talking about doing and feeling."

That's not all Smith has been up to. Earlier in 2024, the star sang on stage at Coachella with Justin Bieber, treating audiences to a special performance of "Never Say Never." Smith also watched J Balvin perform while at the music festival and witnessed his father come out as a surprise artist for the Colombian native's set. Smith is also working to start a recycled plastic furniture company, and he says that he sees every movie that is released in theaters. As for the future? "After I release this mini-project, I'm on a swag mission. I'm on a rainbow swag mission and I'm just trekking through. Wherever the mission takes — that's where I'll be. If I get this plastic furniture company off the ground, I have no idea what happens next. It all depends where the wind blows, how sad I am," Smith said.