Willow Smith Now Fully Protected From Whiplash

Talk show host presents 10-year-old with a stylish neck brace for all the hair-whipping

By Natalie Finn Nov 02, 2010 11:00 PMTags

Naturally, Ellen DeGeneres doesn't want anyone getting injured while dancing on her show.

So after Willow Smith positively tore it up on Tuesday with a performance of "Whip My Hair," the daytime queen-in-waiting presented Will and Jada's daughter with a little gift—a sparkle-studded neck brace ringed with pictures of Ellen.

"You wear that on all your tours, OK?" she told the budding star.

When asked about her song's seemingly empowering message, Willow precociously described it as "the new 'I'm me!'"

But at least the remarkably composed 10-year-old admitted that she got super nervous when Ellen announced her name.

"I was like, 'Uh-oh, what if I mess up?!'" the grade-schooler said in a rare moment of adolescence.

"Now did you want to act or did you want to sing?" Ellen asked, knowing that Hollywood was already Willow's oyster when she set out.

"I love acting," Willow, who briefly appeared in I Am Legend with her dad, replied. "It fulfills my career. Singing is just so awesome, that's something that I do, like, pleasurous."

And now she's making up perfectly good words. Can someone say triple threat?