Will Smith’s life was dramatically transformed when he rose to fame in 1990 as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — a transformation that deepened when he became a father for the first time in 1992. The celebrated King Richard star is a father to three children: sons Trey, 31, and Jaden, 25, and daughter Willow, 23, all of whom have ventured into the entertainment industry. Smith welcomed his first son, Trey, with then-wife Sheree Zampino in 1992. Although their relationship became strained after his divorce from Zampino in 1995, Smith and his son have since mended their bond. In 1997, Smith married actress-singer Jada Pinkett Smith, and together they welcomed son Jaden in July 1998, followed by daughter Willow in October 2000. From reconciling with Trey to adapting his parenting style because of Willow, the Oscar-winning actor has been open about “the real weight of parenting” and how his children have motivated him to improve himself.

In November 2022, all three children supported Smith at the Los Angeles premiere of his film Emancipation. Trey, Jaden, and Willow dressed elegantly for red carpet photos with their father. The following month, on the All The Smoke podcast, Smith described this as his “greatest period of fatherhood.” Smith filmed an episode of Red Table Talk with his children shortly afterward, capturing their arrivals at the house in a TikTok trend to see who is always early and who is always late. Willow was dubbed “the early bird” for arriving 30 minutes early, Trey was “the most dependable son” arriving 15 minutes early, and Jaden was humorously labeled “Mr. Time is a Construct” for his roughly one-hour delay.