Is Will Smith the Mother of All Stage Parents?

Jaden Smith and Willow Smith are show-big kids. So, what does that make their famous mom and pop?

By Joal Ryan Sep 11, 2010 9:26 PMTags
Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow SmithGareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Jaden Smith's got two movies in development. Willow Smith's got a record deal with Jay-Z.

They are, no doubt about it, showbiz kids. So, the uncomfortable question is, does that make Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith stage parents?

No.

You ever see Gypsy? (If not, and if nothing else, please revisit Kurt's showstopper in "Laryngitis" from Glee's first season.) You remember I Know My Kid's a Star from a few reality seasons back? Did you brave Living Lohan

Those shows will learn you fast on stage parents: People driven by fame, fortune and perhaps their own shortcomings to seek out the spotlight for their children.

Suffice to say, Mr. and Mrs. Smith apparently have as much in common with Mama Rose as Lindsay Lohan has in common with Michael Lohan.

The Smiths individually, and as a couple, have their own fame, fortune and careers.

Are they going the Ron Howard route of raising their kids outside of Hollywood? Obviously not. But that doesn't mean they're pushing their kids into Hollywood. (And, by the by, the Howard kids weren't exactly barred from their father's sets.)

Feel free to debate whether Jaden Smith is too young to be a box-office star, and/or Willow Smith is too young to be dubbed the "next Michael Jackson." The fact is we won't know the answer until they do.

For now, all we know is Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are not stage parents because they're parenting children who have taken to the stage.

Just like their parents.

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Judge Willow Smith's record—and talentfor yourself right here.