Will Smith has been a lot in the news lately, and it isn’t always for good things. The “Fresh Prince” actor has been the butt of jokes and memes for days while others have pitied him as his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith‘s recent candid discussions about their sex life caused fans to assume that Smith is unhappy.
It seemed that Will Smith was indeed unhappy, and it might not be Jada; at least he isn’t saying why. On Friday, the actor admitted he contemplated suicide during the taping of a YouTube series about physical fitness and weight loss earlier this year.
A trailer of the upcoming series showed a chubby-looking Smith working out and also sitting at the Red Table with his family.
“This began as a journey to get into the best shape of my life,” said the actor in the trailer for “Best Shape of My Life,” in which he sets out to lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks.
Will Smith, 53, is also seen writing his memoir, exercising, and chatting with his children Trey, 28, Willow, 20, and Jaden, 23.
Smith added that while making the series, it was partially difficult but also eye-opening as the series helped him learn a “whole lot of hidden things about myself.”
“When I started this show, I thought I was getting into the best shape of my life physically, but mentally I was somewhere else,” he said in a voiceover for the series, which premieres Nov. 8. “I ended up discovering a whole lot of hidden things about myself. That was the only time in my life that I ever considered suicide.”
While the trailer did not pinpoint what caused him to have suicidal thoughts, the actor’s marriage to Jada has been in the spotlight from last year after singer August Alsina revealed that he had a years’ long affair with Jada Pinkett-Smith, who he says wanted to leave Will to be with him. Alsina, who had a meltdown after Pinkett-Smith left the entanglement, had noted that Will had also known about the affair and had even given his “blessing” to him.
Despite the August Alsina scandal, the Smiths appeared happy and have put up a solid front of their marriage to the public. Fans, however, have not stopped reviewing statements made by Jada and posting online in sympathy for Will, who they assume is unhappy.
