This Is How The Smith Family Really Spends Their Millions
Worth a combined $320 million, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are a huge power couple to contend with — not to mention their three kids, Trey (Will's son with his first wife), Jaden, and Willow. Spanning the entertainment spectrum from acting to music, the Smith family seems truly unstoppable. But despite their talents and successes, many of us often wonder, how are they spending all their mega cash?
Even though it takes an incredible amount of hard work to get to where the Smiths are at, it probably takes even more work to maintain it all. So it's hard to imagine they'd have time to really bask in the glory ... until we see the photos they post on the 'gram.
So, just because we're curious, we decided to look into the lavish life of the Smith family. What's it like to be one of the premier families in the Hollywood elite? Are they secretly partying like it's 1999? Read on for the juicy details, but try not to let it get you down (sorry, they're not looking to adopt).
The Smith family takes luxurious vacations to faraway places
Fans of the Smith family got a treat in 2019 when both Will and Jada shared tons of their European vacation pictures on social media. As usual, they looked like the absolute perfect family, but it was hard not to be just a teensy bit jealous, too. Not only did they travel to Europe, but they chartered a yacht to sail around Greece and Italy once they got there — giving new meaning to the phrase, "go big, or go home." The yacht, named Mischief, was said to come with its own spa pool, sundeck, on-board jet skis, and staff of 13.
This isn't the first time the Smiths have enjoyed time on a yacht, by the way. Will also partied on a yacht on a solo trip to Ibiza in 2014. While chartering a yacht isn't cheap (reportedly it can cost as much as $500,000 a week) it still beats actually buying one however, which can cost upwards of $100 million.
The Smith family has a $42 million mansion with butter leather floors
One of the Smith family's most bragadocious assets is their home, which had an asking price of $42 million back in 2014 when they briefly put it on the market. Nestled in the mountains of Calabasas, California, the house is so big, it literally has its own zip code. Will and Jada opened up their home to Architectural Digest back in 2011, showing the world just how large they'd been living. The adobe-style mansion, which is really a 150-acre compound, includes a movie theater, recording studio, and its own lake.
Yet nothing beats Roots drummer Questlove's glowing description of the house. Probably the most outrageous thing he shared was that, after taking an eternity just to get from the "Jurassic Park gates" to the front door ("while doing 20 mph it took 35 seconds") he said he actually "passed three city blocks with 15 brownstone per block." Perhaps then, this helps explain the term "compound" and the dedicated zip code? "Yes a REAL neighborhood," said Questlove. "Was told they fly family out there for reunions and stuff. Makes it easier." Oh, that ... and "the floor is MADE OF BUTTER LEATHER" (all caps courtesy of Questlove).
Of course, they also own other ... err ... "side" homes? One was in Hawaii, which they sold in 2011 for $20 million. Jaden also moved into the family's $4 million dollar mansion in Hidden Hills, California, a gated community that is also home to Kylie Jenner.
The Smith family makes hefty religious donations
While the Smiths have a luxurious lifestyle, don't be mistaken — they give back in a big way, too. In fact, they have their own foundation set up to do just that. For example, in 2007, The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation reportedly gave $1.3 million away to charities and various organizations which were largely religious. So who made the lucky list? The biggest payout that year went to Yesha Ministries in Philadelphia, which is said to be a born-again Christian organization. However, in case you're thinking the Smiths are devout Christians, consider this: They also gave $122,500 to the Church of Scientology that year. Later in 2008, they also reportedly helped fund a Scientologist school.
Despite their generous giving to different religions (in 2007, they also gave thousands to a mosque in Los Angeles and other various Christian churches, says Business Insider) the Smiths don't seem to lean toward one over the other. As Jada explained in a series of tweets in 2017: "I have prayed in mosques around the world... but I am not a Muslim. I have read the Bhagavad Gita... but I am not a Hindu. I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth... but I am not a Buddhist. I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech... but I am not a Scientologist."
The Smith family gives emergency bail-outs for friends
Fast and the Furious star Tyrese Gibson of posted on Instagram in 2017 that the Smiths gave him $5 million to help with legal fees while he was in the midst of his custody battle with his ex-wife. Gibson's post, which has since been deleted, read at the time: "When we show UP for each-other there's nothing that can't be done I️ repeat nothing...... My wife kept the news away from me cause I've been on with lawyers all day but our family and our sister Jada-Pinkett Smith and my brother Will Smith just sent us 5 million dollars to help keep us afloat." While the story seemed plausible due to the Smiths' generosity, TMZ later reported that sources close to the Smiths said that no money was given.
However, another friend of the Smiths, Duane Martin, supposedly received a $1.4 million dollar loan from them back in 2012. According to documents obtained by The Blast, Martin asked Will for a loan to help get his house out of foreclosure. Will exchanged a series of concerned emails with his own team about it being leaked to the press, but as The Blast reports, the documents indicated he did loan Martin the money. Will's emails eventually were subpoenaed by the court when Martin was accused of hiding the house from his creditors during his bankruptcy. As of spring 2019, the case was unresolved, and the Smiths were not accused of any wrongdoing.
Will and Jada Smith buy crazy expensive cars for the kids
While most of us probably remember getting our parents' old, beat-up car when we first got our driver's license — or let's be honest, no car — Willow apparently got a brand-new Porsche Cayenne Turbo when she turned 16 in 2017. In case you haven't been shopping for luxury cars lately, that car was worth about $120,000 when it was purchased. Not too shabby for a sweet 16 present! Photos show that the car was painted an edgy matte black.
One of her brothers, Jaden, also has been seen around his neighborhood in Hidden Hills, California driving a Tesla Model X, which is said to be worth upwards of $85,000. Interestingly, Will and Jada themselves don't seem to flaunt their cars as much as the kids do, although rumor has it that Will does have a car collection that includes luxury and classic models such as a Maybach, Escalator, Navigator, Bentley, and Mustang.
The Smith family takes spontaneous trips on private jets
While there's no evidence the family owns a private jet, it definitely seems like they like to fly in style, at least once in a while. On a trip from Dublin to Manchester in 2011, reports say the Smiths opted to charter a private jet for the 50-minute flight simply because the airline only had economy seats left on the commercial flight they had booked. Jada tweeted an adorable photo of Will and Willow, which some reports claimed was taken on the private jet. Others questioned their consideration for the original airline staff, who had already made extensive plans to usher them through arrivals once they got to Manchester. (via Manchester Evening News)
Since then, the Smiths have continued to show interest in private jets. Will, along with Ashton Kutcher and others, later invested in Blackjet, a company that planned to be the "Uber for private jets." Unfortunately, the company went under in 2016. Nowadays, though, it seems that the family has gotten comfortable commercial. Jaden was spotted carrying his own luggage (gasp!) at LAX in 2018, and Jada was photographed walking through international arrivals in the Melbourne airport, wearing ... say it ain't so! ... a tracksuit.
Will Smith has a pimped out motorhome like you've never seen
If you thought their house seemed extravagant, then you'll definitely want to take a look at Will's personal movie trailer. Called "The Heat," it's worth more than a lot of people's actual homes at $2.5 million. At 1200 square feet on 22 wheels, this pimped-out RV was Will's home-away-from-home while he filmed movies such as Men in Black 3, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Ali.
In case you're not convinced that a trailer can be this exciting, here's a quick breakdown. It's a double-decker motorhome with $100,000-$200,000 worth of granite countertops, a $25,000 bathroom, and a 30-person screening room on the upper level. All said and done, it has $30,000 worth of leather, and $100,000-$125,000 worth of technology in it — and the entire upstairs will either raise or collapse at the touch of a button. (via Business Insider) How's that for living the high life?
The Smith family has part ownership of a basketball team
In 2011, Will (West Philadelphia, born and raised!) and Jada bought a minority ownership in the Philadelphia '76ers. To get the deal done, they teamed up with an investor group led by billionaire Joshua Harris. Will later gushed about it on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "Listen, there is nothing like, in all of entertainment, then to walk into the building when it's announced that you're a part owner of your hometown basketball team. Like, that is ridiculous. I mean if the team doesn't win it sucks later, but that first initial, it's like fantastic." He said that it did take some getting used to though, considering that the team was basically a bunch of "kids" and that "nine of them weren't born when The Fresh Prince came on." To them, said Will, "I'm just like the old dude from the Suicide Squad."
Philly fans were undoubtedly even more thrilled to hear that Will and Jada became majority owners according to reports in 2016, but were quickly set straight when the information turned out to be nothing but an April Fool's Day prank — the couple still only claimed minority ownership of the team.
The Smith family wears designer clothing and accessories
Considering how much the Smiths are worth, nobody expects them to be shopping for clothes at Target — but at the same time, the price tag on some of their everyday wear is enough to give anyone pause. Back in 2013, Fashion Bomb Daily tracked down the origin of Will and Jada's shoes in one paparazzi photo, revealing that Jada was wearing a $638 pair of Reed Krakoff cutout sandals and Will was wearing a $950 pair of Lanvin Iridescent High Top sneakers.
In an interview with Teen Vogue when she was just 13, Willow Smith already seemed to have caught the fashion bug, also. Mentioning that her own favorite pair of high heels were a gift from Karl Lagerfeld, she also swooned over her mom's Juste un Clou bracelet (saying it was "sick), and said that her whole family "love[s] Cartier." Undoubtedly, the Smiths need extra space to house their wardrobes and accessories, judging by the humongous dream closet that Will and Jada had built into their home.
The Smith family has their own multimedia company
In case you thought Will and Jada were just actors for hire, think again. They own their own movie studio and record label called Overbrook Entertainment with James Lassiter, which generated $4 billion in ticket sales and produced several of Will's movies, including Hitch, Men in Black II, and I Am Legend.
Then in 2019, they created Westbrook Inc, which now oversees several other Smith-owned digital and entertainment subsidiaries, including Overbrook. Westbrook extends into social media and orchestrated the revamp of Will Smith's social media presence.
The couple said in a statement: "We are so excited to announce this new venture and fully immerse ourselves in all areas of the media and entertainment space. With our incredible team of family, chosen family, and longtime business partners, Westbrook Inc.'s mission is to spread positive ideas, art, and products that entertain and empower the greatest number of lives, inspiring the next generation of artists to do good in the world."