Hero1

I didn't even watch the Oscars and recently the grammys i haven't watched an award show in years. and then i go twitter and see all kinds of post and memes about what happened and i'm just Damn. what the heck happened? What's going on with Will? I'm definitely in the camp that you aint just going to make a disrespectful joke about a man's wife and he's just going to smile about it slapping Chris on live tv wasn't a good move clearly he could have talked to him of camera or something. but i hate how everything feels against Will now.

I'm excited they have 40 pages of the script done - which probably leaves about 20 to go. I'm just not sure we need a Bad Boys 4 tho?  - I think Bad Boys 4 life kind of wrapped up the series for me - I'd rather it end on a high.

Jim, I get everything you are saying and I think a lot of people feel the same way. I think it is worth getting the audiobook of Will though - the first 10 chapters are all about the formation and success of JJFP and a lot of stuff we never knew about - I think as a music fan you would really enjoy that section of the book at least. Behind the scenes of summertime - the making of And in this corner etc, the return with Men In Black.

Good to see you still around man!

Jim, I get everything you are saying and I think a lot of people feel the same way. I think it is worth getting the audiobook of Will though - the first 10 chapters are all about the formation and success of JJFP and a lot of stuff we never knew about - I think as a music fan you would really enjoy that section of the book at least. Behind the scenes of summertime - the making of And in this corner etc, the return with Men In Black.

I agree with a lot of opinions here. I don't think Will is doing good mentally. It was like a bi-polar moment for him. He's seen laughing at the joke to then slapping Chris and shouting at him. Next he gets the win and then cries and says something that he's a "vessel of love" and "love makes you do crazy things".
Dude - you just slapped the host of the show because Jada wasn't having it. Listen, I get defending your wife but that was such an instant response to Jada. It was uncalled for. The joke wasn't even that bad. It's comedy. So now if we go to comedy shows and don't like a joke we can slap the comedian? It's bizarre. I get that it's an isolated incident but I think it was trigger by some deep wounds and toxicity in his life. He needs some help and healing. I haven't read the book but it seems like their are some deep rooted issues. 
We're obviously all people on the outside watching but part of me thinks their marriage has run it's course. He was humiliated on the RTT with Jada where she justified her actions in front of the world to make a private matter turn into public display of marriage therapy in which she profited off of it. She had an affair with their son's friend. That's crazy. So because the traditional definition of marriage doesn't apply to their "open marriage" makes what she did okay? And now they're going to have another episode that they're going to profit from from all the views. I could do without the pomp and circumstance.
Honestly, I'm just turned off by Will and have been for a few years now. Maybe at his core he's still the guy we all grew up loving from JJFP, FPOBA to the early 2000s but he doesn't have the same appeal to me. He's a business and a brand and the one thing I want from him - he doesn't sell anymore - which is music. I'm not into Will Smith the character, the box office star and hollywood elite. He's just not relatable. I feel the same way about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson too. 
I dont care and never cared about: 
his movies his marriage and how open it is his kids his snapchat his instagram his book (well maybe some parts of it) bel-air reboot hollywood life  his politics his youtube channel his motivation advice his workout routine selling me products (bel-air merch, JUST water...etc) ...etc Anything with music - count me in. 
 

The Academy just released a statement:
 
The fact that Will was asked to leave and refused is very bad. I have a feeling he is going to be expelled from the Academy and this could signal the end of Will's movie career. How many people in Hollywood would want to work with him now?
 
 

Jada using Will's mental breakdown for some views on her red table talk I find extremely unsavoury. Wasn't the entanglement episode of that enough humiliation for Will? And now she is going to do it again with more of her psycho-babble? Not happy about this at all. Will get away from that toxicity and get back to being yourself.

I took a minute to process the incident and the night in general before posting on here, it hit home for personal reasons, that I’ll explain, and it also took me a while to try and understand what developed and why. 
After deliberation, obviously violence is never the answer. It’s inexcusable, but, it’s also understandable based on what has been revealed to us in recent months and years. I saw a broken man, at his breaking point, that’s lived pretty much flawlessly over nearly four decades in the public eye. 
After reading WILL, it opened my eyes to that lack of acceptance Will has always had, and his strive to ‘put right’ what he got wrong as a kid. Namely, his inaction when his father would abuse his mother, both physically and mentally. I believe this played a part in the spur of the moment decision to act when he felt his wife was attacked. 
Another thing that came to mind is his obsession to not fail, think back to when Sheree divorced Will, and he refused because ‘I don’t get divorced’. He was willing to stay in a marriage he wasn’t happy in because of his commitment to the decision he made. Fast forward to the ‘Entanglement’ and we have a carbon copy of the fight to save his marriage, that got turned into memes and internet trends, namely of Will crying when emotional speaking of his wife’s affair with someone he’d brought into his home to help. 
I also believe Will becomes so engrossed in roles that he wants to embody what Richard Williams stands for in terms of defence towards his wife and children, and with them all being women, it’s overlapped into Wills personal life. Not just with Jada and his kids, but with the cast and crew of the movie, also.  
Now, you’re Will Smith, you’ve made the decision to stand by your wife and forgive her sleeping with another man, almost having the acceptance because she was facing her own demons. I do have my opinion on Jada and what damage she may be causing to Will, but in this instance, you have to take it at face value that he chose to forgive and move on, so we should to. 
You get to a point when Jada opens up about her autoimmune disease that results in Alopecia, and in her darkest moments dealing with her hair loss, she had suicidal thoughts and intentions, but managed to pluck up the courage to eventually embrace the situation and use it as fuel to encourage other sufferers of the disease. It’s important to remember that it goes much further than just simple vanity. 
As a husband myself, and being married to a woman that suffers with mental health, namely Agoraphobia, I’ve witnessed the lows that nobody else sees, I’ve witnessed the brave face that everybody else thinks is natural, and I’ve also seen the small innocuous comments, that the majority would brush off, bring her entire world crashing down faster than what seems imaginable. But it happens. 
Now, put yourself in the shoes of Will, sweeping the awards season, a favourite to achieve his first Oscar, an award he’s been openly chasing for two decades since his first nomination. You’re on top of the world, embracing the moment. This is the best your career could ever be, the pinnacle. Someone then makes a joke in poor taste, about the women you love, on what’s supposed to be the biggest night of your career, and you glance over to your wife and she isn’t impressed. I believe Will unlocked some inner demons he’d buried writing WILL, I believe he’s reeling from being humiliated about the ‘Entanglement’, I believe he’s bitten his tongue on many occasion when the names of his wife and children got dragged through the dirt in front of millions. 
In that moment, I believe Will thought, it doesn’t matter what I do in my career, I’ll always be that scared little boy that didn’t stop his Mother from getting beat. And he said, no more. 
As a side note, it’s important to understand what triggers are when it comes to mental health, and what you’re husband may know will be damaging to you, even though it seemed an innocent off the cuff comment. I’m sure Chris Rock was unaware, and Will could have handled in a more calm and well matured manner than resorting to violence, especially as it’s completely overshadowed what was a richly deserved and overdue Oscar victory for what was a phenomenal performance. 
I congratulate Will on his Oscar win, and I really hope if he is struggling with his life and is overwhelmed by what’s being asked of him, or what he feels is being asked of him, that he seeks the help to recover and get back to being himself. It was difficult to watch someone I’ve admired for so long hit rock bottom on the same night he reached his highest point, but it was also a stark reminder that we expect superhuman actions out of people who are just as human as the people they entertain. 
Sorry it dragged on LOL

I I'm more with Def Cem on this. I will always be a JJFP fan but I really don't like justifying violence with love or protection. It just wasn't acceptable. I thought Chris Rock handled himself pretty unbelievably after the incident. You can hear my full thoughts on why I thought it happened on the podcast here:
 
 

Check out this new interview!
 
Audio only, starting at the 29 minute mark:
 

I haven’t been online here in ages and just had to come and share my feelings.
I am really shocked and disappointed of his behavior and think that this is unacceptable. He didn’t even apologize to Chris at his speech.
As a long time JJFP fan I must say, that the Fresh Prince I used to like and watch and listen to is no more. Will totally lost his sense of responsibility as an artist.. what it means to be a role model. He shouldn’t have made his private life so public in the first place. All that red table talk and stuff totally screwed him up. The showbiz is not the place to elaborate and therapy your life. 
my respect for him is on a low point and honestly he is more and more becoming an example on how NOT to do things in life.
 
What a shame. I won’t support him anymore and will stick with his old stuff. But nonetheless I hope he’ll get out of this mess…

Bit out of balance? Obviously.

But having thought about this... if my (highly hypothetical..) wife has a medical condition she is sensitive about and some clown makes a joke about it in front of millions of people, it is sort of your duty as the husband to go slap that worn out comedian in the face. Was it clever? Not particularly... but entirely understandable. This slap was a better decision than his last dozen movies or so. 

Keep in mind, I've often heard Will refer to individual songs or singles as "records"...so if you add up all his single and album sales, billboard charts, etc, he's probably around there. 

I'm down. Crazy busy right now so I hope I can find the time, but I'd love to talk about it.

My thoughts on the first 9 chapters:
 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7lVMG8BZmzhqKyWGEaxQk3?si=aspejnXGTfa4wkuSrKNwNw&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A3D4hyMgdkz9aCpMIuQbUzs

Hey man - great to hear from you! I think the "Will" book is phenomenal - I wish more people came back to the forum because there is so much in the book to discuss. He really goes in deep on becoming a battle rapper and the making of the Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince albums. 
You probably misses some music he dropped on his Instagram & YouTube. Will from Home was on Snapchat - there is an interview with Jeff on that after he almost died from Covid.
There's still heaps of things going on - just less people on here to talk about it unfortunately. Hopefully the book brings some people back!

 

Awesome Dave! London is sold out! I'm currently watching the live stream in Philly!

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Rest in Peace to Super Producer/Composer Carl "Chucky"Thompson, I used to play keys when I was in middle school and I think that it was his keys and lush arrangements that set him apart from the rest of "The Hitmen" on the scene in the late 90s. It was not only lush, it was live instrumentation, intricate background vocals, and literally this man helped to create "MY LIFE" (Mary J. Blige), timeless hits for The Notorious B.I.G. , introduced amazing new artists like: NONCHALANT, FRANKIE, EMILY KING and others. His music moved me then, and made me wanna take songwriting seriously. I'll miss this brother and praying peace for his remaining family.

I'm going to try and do a new one with @JumpinJack AJ !!

Great! I just subscribed! 

Netflix Acquires ‘Fast & Loose’
https://deadline.com/2021/07/netflix-fast-loose-stxfilms-will-smith-david-leitch-1234800911/

After 16 years I'm finally updating the JJFP website. Check out http://www.jazzyjefffreshprince.com for the new look and stay tuned for updates. I'm gonna bring the traffic back to this website and I'm gonna start pumping out new content.

This is one of the great discoveries I ever made. One of Jeff's best mixtapes.