Is Will Smith Exploiting His Kids?

At just nine years old, Willow Smith released her debut single—“an insistent, earwormy ode to the whipping of one's hair”—and will likely continue to act, too. Her 12-year-old brother, Jaden, also raps and acts. And, oh, they’ve both served as goodwill ambassadors to Zambia. It’s easy to be jealous of the progeny of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith—but, writes Mary Elizabeth Williams on Salon, “I, for one, welcome our new Smith family overlords.”

“There's an uneasy assumption that famous children must be mini-divas with pushy parents,” and “maybe the entire Smith clan are truly awful human beings, attention-seeking arrogant narcissists. Or maybe they're nice people who are encouraging their kids to do what makes them happy,” she writes. “More than just being little progenies, the Smith children combine their beyond-their-years giftedness with a truly kid-like apparent pleasure in what they do.” For more—or to see Willow’s “Whip My Hair” video—click here.
(More Willow Smith stories.)