Will Smith “basically lost everything” before his “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” success.
The King Richard star was enjoying musical success but experienced financial ruin, losing his cars and his home, and even spent a night in jail before he hit stratospheric fame with the hit ’90s sitcom.
The revelation comes from “The Oprah Conversation: Will Smith” on Apple TV+ clip, shared exclusively with “Entertainment Tonight.”
Will wrote about what happened in his new memoir, Will, and he was quizzed about his low point in “The Oprah Conversation: Will Smith.”
In a clip from the Apple TV+ show shared with “Entertainment Tonight,” the 67-year old broadcast legend asked: “So right before ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’, I think people would be surprised to know, this is the first time, I realized … you basically lost everything.”
“The government seized your cars, it took your home, you ended up in jail. You describe it in two words actually, ‘rock bottom.’ What was at the root of that downfall, Will? And the life lesson you took from it?”
The 53-year old actor admitted to a radio station fight that saw him put behind bars made him reassess his life.
“When it rains, it pours. So getting into the fight at the radio station and Charlie punching the dude that landed me in jail. So the money is gone, the car is gone. I am laying on the floor in a jail cell and I am like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,” Smith said.
He went on to point out how he recently experienced great career highs, such as prestigious awards for his rap career.
“I won a GRAMMY eight months ago. Like, what is happening?” he recalls. “And it’s just the spiral when it starts going the other way. It’s like, sometimes you just have to get out the way and wait until the downward spiral stops,” the ‘Men in Black’ star said.
