VALDRIN XHEMAJ/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockWill Smith is the king of social media, and he's taking a moment to (mostly) put jokes aside and get serious for a few moments.
Will and his family have always been an open book, whether it involves recalling "failing miserably" at one point in his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith or completely slaying the "In My Feelings" competition. His most recent Instagram post is no different.
On Monday, the I Am Legend star posted a video on his page that doubled as a montage to his 26-year-old son, Trey Smith. He spoke to the camera while wearing a very lush-looking robe and said, "So I'm in Abu Dhabi at the F1. I brought my son Trey. We've been hanging and I usually take my kids separately on stuff so they have their individual daddy time."
While he spoke, images of he and Trey slid across the screen.
He continued, "So we've been doing this, hanging at the F1, and he said, 'You know what dad? I just realized you're not just my dad.' He paused and said, 'I'm pretty sure you're my best friend.'"
At this point, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's eyes looked like they were welling up a bit. Although this was an emotional conversation between the father and son, Will of course imbued the explanation of their interaction with a bit of humor. "I was like, [exhale], yeah man, prolly," he said. "Prolly."
The significance and meaning behind the video didn't just come out of the blue. Will revealed that it hasn't always been smooth sailing between the two of them, especially after Will divorced Trey's mom, Sheree Zampino.
"It has not always been like this between Trey & I," Will wrote as the caption of the video. "We STRUGGLED FOR YEARS after my Divorce from his Mother. He felt betrayed & abandoned."
However, the two have clearly come a long, long way since those darker days. "It is a Wild Blessing to recover & restore a Loving Relationship with My Beautiful Son!" he concluded.
Although Will and Sheree are longer married, the two have an invaluable presence in the other family's life. On Nov. 16, Will posted a tribute to Sheree on her birthday that included a photo of the two of them holding a baby Trey. "Happy Bday, @shereezampino. #BestBabyMamaEver! :-) I Love You, Ree-Ree," he wrote.
Sheree replied with praise of her own both to Will and Jada. "Awwwwwwwww...thank you baby daddy!!!!!! I love you back! And thank you @treysmith0011 for being the reason we came together. And to @jadapinkettsmith for being an understanding, secure, and absolutely AMAZING wife, mother, Bonus-mom, and Co-parenting partner!" she commented back.
Jada and Sheree are friends now, despite getting off to a bit of a rocky start. The two women talked about their relationship on an episode of Jada's show Red Table Talk and acknowledged her missteps in the beginning of her relationship with Will. The Girls Trip star said she and Will "did not have an affair while he was married," but his commitment to Jada began soon after his split from his first wife.
"Because I did not understand marriage, I didn't understand divorce," Jada said on the show. "I will say that I probably should have fell back."
The two of them have let bygones be bygones and their two families remain extremely intertwined. At one point, it was quite literal. Jada revealed that she and Sheree were holding each other tight after Will jumped out of a helicopter over the Grand Canyon on his 50th birthday.
Clearly, Will and Trey have let any hurt feelings stay in the past. Trey re-posted Will's video and wrote, "Awwwww shucks [heart emoji] you too big guy." In another photo of them at the F1, Trey said, "WE always have the BEST time."
But if there's one description that encapsulates their relationship best, it's, "Dad you're my Literal Guy in Life."