Will Smith Opens Up About Willow’s Bold Move During Her 'Whip My Hair' Era
Will Smith reflected on a moment with his daughter Willow, sharing the story behind her decision to shave her head during the “Whip My Hair” tour in his interview for “Number One On The Call Sheet.”
The Oscar winner opens up about the "transparent soul” singer telling him how she was “done” after a show during her 2010 tour with Justin Bieber.
“We were in Dublin, Ireland,” he began, revisiting the scene like it had happened yesterday.
“I’m done, Daddy,” she told him. Smith smiled, thinking she meant the performance. He told her it was a great show, but she shook her head. “No, I mean I’m done. I’m ready to go home.”
What started as a proud father moment turned into a lesson in boundaries. The Oscar winner reminded her about the commitment she’d made. He explained that she had promised Mr. Jay-Z she’d complete thirty days on tour.
Without hesitation, his daughter looked at him and said, “No, Daddy, you promised Mr. Jay-Z.”
That moment stayed with him. The way she looked at him wasn’t defiant, it was honest.
“It doesn’t matter to you that I’m finished, Daddy?” she asked.
He told her it did matter, but that she needed to finish what she started. She nodded, and then responded saying “Oh, okay.”
The next morning, everything shifted.
Jada [Pinkett-Smith] had just left, so it was his first night handling full dad duty.
When Willow came out of her room, her head was completely shaved.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t stop her. He just understood.
“It was magical,” he said later. “I got it.”
The “Empathogen” singer spoke to The Guardian in 2022 about the moment, expressing how she felt she “had no control.”
“That was the part that wasn’t cool for me. I felt so powerless. But because I was so young, I didn’t have enough experience for people to trust my opinions. So I just said, ‘I can’t do this.’”
See the full clip below.
