After conquering the landscapes of rap, television and the big screen, box-office heavyweight Will Smith has his sights set on another frontier: politics.
The former “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and Men in Black star gave strong indications that he may run for some high office in the very near future due to the sociopolitical animus and upheaval that’s permeating America.
“I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line,” Smith told the “Crooked Media’s Pod Save America” podcast. “I absolutely have an opinion, I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people and I believe in the possibility of harmony. I will certainly do my part, whether it remains artistic or, at some point, ventures into the political arena.”
This is not the first time Smith has hinted that he aspires to become a state or federal legislator. According to The Hill, Smith first got the political itch due to his repulsion of then-candidate Donald Trump’s increasingly incendiary rhetoric and demagoguery in 2015.
Smith, 52, also told The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast in that same year that he’s been incentivized to act because the increased toxicity and volatility in politics overall are keeping him up at nights.
“And, you know, as I look at the political landscape, I think that there might be a future out there for me,” he said. “They might need me out there. This is the first year that I’ve been incensed to a level that I can’t sleep, you know? So I’m feeling that at some point, in the near future, I will have to lend my voice to the conversation in a somewhat different way.”
