Will Smith’s renaissance is a thing of mediocrity after the once brilliant actor with limitless potential gambles it all away over a mindless joke.

Will Smith is one of the few public figures who rooted himself as a pop culture giant out of obscurity and a career in rap music. Renowned as a globally celebrated actor, Smith became a page-turner for Hollywood with big draws such as Bad Boys, Independence Day, and the Men in Black franchise.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black [Credit: Sony/Columbia Pictures]

By the end of the 1990s, the Fresh Prince became one of the biggest stars of Hollywood, especially after his titular role in Ali (2002) shot him to an Academy Award nominee status. Soon, Will Smith began to exude a demigod-like presence with his blockbuster career and his unfailing cinematic masterpieces alongside a family that was first-generation Hollywood royalty… until slaps and entanglements unraveled the illusion like spaghetti.

Will Smith and His Non-Existent Presidential Portfolio

Politics and Hollywood have been co-dependent industries for as long as the latter has existed. For classics like All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), and The Last of the Mohicans (1992), global politics were merely a thematic subject within their fictional storylines.

However, for Ronald Reagan, the art of filmmaking presented him with a direct path to the White House. Arnold Schwarzenegger followed a generation later, serving as the 38th Governor of California, with his Presidential run impeded only by his identity as an Austrian-born citizen.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith [Credit: Oprah Daily]

For America’s adopted prince Will Smith, nothing seemed impossible to achieve, having already tasted the peak of Hollywood in his first decade as an actor. Alongside the love of his life, Jada Pinkett Smith, the star of Six Degrees of Separation could almost see himself charting a path toward the Oval Office.

In an interview with Rolling Stone in December 1998, Mrs. Smith claimed:

Will was far grittier, more ghetto, than I expected. I can see him being a force in politics – he’s so passionate about it. And if he wanted to run for president, I’d be scared to death – about assassination – but I’d definitely be on the front lines with him. Whatever he wants to do, I’m there.

Although Smith might have once ranked favorably as a politician with ideals, the world is neither forgiving nor forgetful of what happens in this day and age of public outrage and cancel culture. And Will Smith has ironically been at the center of both.

Will Smith Turned the Frown Upside Down

The 2022 Oscars became a night of sensation and controversy after Will Smith’s unforeseen altercation with the event’s host Chris Rock shook the very foundations of the industry. For months, no topic seemed more relevant than the resounding slap that echoed live across millions of television screens and in front of hundreds of celebrity guests. Will Smith turned into a pariah overnight and his outrage overshadowed his illustrious 30-year-old career’s first Oscar win.

Will Smith accepts his Oscar for King Richard [Credit: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences]

For a profession that is wholly incumbent on public perception, image, and reputation, Will Smith managed to tank all 3 at once when he physically assaulted Chris Rock on stage over a second-grade unfunny joke made at the expense of his wife.

The shock and repulsive aftermath of the incident resulted in a 10-year ban from the Academy, although not before Smith accepted his reward a mere 30 minutes after the incident, with a flood of tears streaming down his face.

To say that Jada Smith’s comment about her husband’s future aged poorly would be equivalent to claiming that water is wet. Not only did Will Smith reduce himself to a PR mess, he also retracted into a shell after the Oscars, not to be seen out in public for months. His slow return was aided by Dwayne Johnson and a bare-all heart-to-heart on Jada Smith’s Red Table Talk.

After a relatively quiet 2022-23, Will Smith makes a blockbuster comeback with Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die. For such a socio-politically volatile era, not only does a political career seem a bit out of reach for the actor, but it also seems that Smith would be trumped by far more vocal candidates running for the Presidency as of August 2024.