The Stunning Transformation Of Will Smith's Oldest Son Trey
The following article mentions domestic abuse.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship has been through the wringer — just watch any of their tell-all interviews or read their deeply personal memoirs — but they've always maintained a unified front when it comes to parenting their children. The showbiz veterans also helped open industry doors for their little ones, and it did not take long before the kids of the two Hollywood powerhouses found the limelight. Jaden Smith, who was born in 1998, and Willow Smith, who arrived in 2000, both began pursuing paths in show business when they were still in grade school.
Will has a third child who has been comfortable just outside the public eye. Before Jada, the "Hitch" star was married to actor Sheree Zampino. After meeting on the set of "A Different World" in 1991, the two strung up a four-year relationship, and they welcomed Willard Carroll "Trey" Smith III into the world in 1992. Unfortunately, the rise of Will's career and the decline of Zampino's contributed to the dissolution of their marriage. They divorced in 1995.
For years, Trey flew under the radar, while his younger siblings, Jaden and Willow, stayed in the spotlight with their doting father. Later on, however, Trey grew more accustomed to public attention, whether it be through Jada's "Red Table Talk" or his father's YouTube vlogs. And Will's eldest sure has stayed busy. From receiving Division I offers for his talents in football to transitioning into a Twitch streamer, here is the stunning transformation of Trey Smith.
Trey Smith appeared in his father's music video for a song that was dedicated to him
When Trey Smith arrived on November 11, 1992, Will Smith had deep-seated worries surrounding fatherhood. Will's latefather, Willard Carroll Smith Sr, was abusive, and this in turn made Will question if he was able to nurture his firstborn in ways his father couldn't. In a 2021 YouTube video titled "A Smith Family Therapy Session," Will read an excerpt from his memoir "Will" where he unpacks how he felt moments after Trey's birth. "I fell to my knees sobbing uncontrollably, praying to god, 'Please help me do it right. Please help me be a good daddy,'" he read. "My mind swerved and careened like a drone through my childhood. I had talked so much s*** about Daddio, now here I was."
Though this was a revelation that most learned about through his memoir, Will also discussed these feelings in "Just the Two of Us," his 1997 hit song which sampled the Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr.'s 1980 single of the same name. Paired with a children's book, Will used Trey as a source of inspiration to express his desire to build a sustainable father-son relationship. Will later released a music video for the single, which saw him sing the lyrics to an 8-year-old Trey. This song became an anthem for his first son, as Will would frequently recite the song on his Instagram for years to come.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Trey Smith felt 'abandoned' by Will Smith after his parents divorced
Shortly after Trey Smith's birth, Will Smith and Sheree Zampino's relationship fell apart. Will and Zampino divorced when Trey was only 2 years old. Although the former couple succeeded as co-parents, Will later admitted on Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk" that the split was hard on him. "Divorce was the worst thing in my adult life. Divorce was the ultimate failure for me," he said. "I've been hurt a lot in my adult life, but I don't think anything touches the failure of getting divorced from my 2-year-old's mother."
Trey took his parents' divorce hard, too. After watching his father move on and expand his family with Jada Pinkett Smith, Trey began to feel resentful. While it wasn't always easy, the father and son were eventually able to work things out. In 2018, Will took to Instagram to share how grateful he is to have mended their strained relationship. Reflecting on how far they've come and the strength of their bond, he wrote, "It has not always been like this between Trey and I. We struggled for years after my divorce from his mother. He felt betrayed and abandoned. It is a wild blessing to recover and restore a loving relationship with my beautiful son!"
Trey Smith had a brief career as an actor
Given his parents' success in show business, many assumed Trey Smith would follow in Will Smith and Sheree Zampino's footsteps. Little brother Jaden Smith firmly established himself in the acting world, starring in flicks like "Pursuit of Happyness" and "Karate Kid." Willow Smith has acted in projects like "I Am Legend" and "True Jackson VP." And yes, Trey has dabbled in acting, too.
In 2003, Trey starred alongside his brother and father in the sitcom "All of Us." With a star-studded cast like Duane Martin, Tony Rock, Lisa Raye McCoy, and Elise Neal, Trey got to portray the son of Alex (played by Debi Mazar) for two episodes in the comedy series curated by his father and stepmother, Jada Pinkett Smith. Trey also starred in the 2008 short "The Speech," acting opposite Wayne Gretzky's son, Trevor Gretzky. As of this writing, this is the last project he acted in.
Trey Smith wasn't interested in the Hollywood scene
Will Smith's eldest son remained out of the public eye throughout his childhood. Given how much attention Will, Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Jaden Smith have received over the years, it's especially remarkable that Trey Smith has been able to lead a quiet, relatively private life. This, along with his complicated relationship with his father, created a narrative that Trey is the "forgotten" sibling.
According to his mother, staying away from the spotlight has suited Trey just fine. In a 2014 VH1 interview, Sheree Zampino opened up about Jaden and Willow's level of celebrity versus Trey's quieter life. "Trey was raised differently — in a different home. Trey doesn't really like the limelight. I don't want to say he's more grounded, but he just had a different upbringing. He wasn't as exposed to the whole Hollywood aspect of life," she said. "A lot of that was by choice because dad wouldn't leave him out. He has an insight and he doesn't like anything that's not real or authentic."
Trey Smith was a promsing football star
As previously noted, Trey Smith had a relatively normal childhood full of normal extracurricular activities, like football. According to his MaxPreps profile, Will Smith's eldest son showed great promise in the sport. In a 2020 episode of "Red Table Talk," Will remembered flying across the globe so he could watch Trey play football, and then hop back on a plane and fly back to work the next day. "I would say that's the high point of my parenting," Will shared. "There's very few things in my life I enjoy as much as watching that boy play football."
While attending Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, Trey played for the JV and varsity football teams. Alongside the sons of Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana, Trey played wide receiver. In a 2008 Los Angeles Daily News interview covering the school's star-studded football team, coach Kevin Carmichael reassured the publication that even though some of their best players had famous parents, their talent alone made them stand out. Will's kid was a junior varsity squad at the time, and Carmichael expressed excitement for Trey's growth as a football player. "I can't wait for him to be on the varsity. But not because he's Will Smith's kid, because he's really good," he said. His years playing varsity football served him well, and multiple colleges made scholarship offers. Once he graduated, however, Trey decided to shift his focus onto another interest.
Like his father, Trey Smith dabbled in music
Before becoming one of Hollywood's most successful leading men, Will Smith was an avid hip-hop artist. Paired alongside Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes, the duo were relatively successful throughout the late '80s to early '90s. Jada Pinkett Smith, meanwhile, was the lead singer of '00s nu metal band Wicked Wisdom. Their kids have followed their own paths in the music world: Jaden Smith has established his own rap career, and Willow Smith has explored different genres throughout her discography. It should come as little surprise that Will's eldest, Trey Smith, also has a deep interest in music.
Despite not garnering Billboard hits like his siblings, Trey's success as a DJ is nothing to scoff at. Along with working on his solo work under the alias "AcE," — and collaborating with Jaden and Willow for "Find You Somewhere," — Trey's first notable gig happened to be a Vanity Fair event in 2013, only three months after making his DJ debut in Miami. From there, Trey traveled across the world, playing in several events in different countries. As of 2023, you could still find Trey promoting his music on his Instagram — only this time, as a rapper. Aside from his collaboration with Ky Almighty, Trey released "Out of KNoWWhere" and "Mom & Babe," which is featured on Jaden's "MSFTSrep" playlist on Spotify.
Trey Smith set out to film a travelogue documentary in 2015
As Trey Smith's DJing talents took him to different countries where he got to play for well-known festivals. In 2015, Trey set out to Abu Dhabi to perform at the Beats on the Beach event. While en route to his performance, Trey took to Instagram to showcase the venue where he performed and wrote, "The quiet before the storm."
Unbeknownst to his fans, however, Trey wasn't in the United Arab Emirates only to perform. According to Albawaba, Trey was set to star in a travelogue documentary in Dubai titled "The World Keeps Spinning." Since he regularly visited the country numerous times, it appeared that the documentary's creators saw him as a perfect candidate to have a hand in their production. Overbrook Entertainment's Clarence Hammond spoke with the publication to clarify what the documentary would entail. "This travelogue will reflect the life lessons he learns, the people he meets, and the memories he makes during his time in Dubai," they stated. "AcE [Trey] sees Dubai as a place where people can come together over a shared love of bringing something beautiful into the world: architecture, culture, fashion, music, and so much more." Despite having a compelling premise, word about the documentary's release has been nonexistent, suggesting that it was ultimately scrapped.
Trey Smith opened up about feeling a lack of love from his mother
After Trey Smith's mom and dad split up, Will Smith wasn't the only parent he struggled to connect with. On a 2022 episode of on Jada Pinkett Smith's "Red Table Talk," Sheree Zampino spoke with the hosts about "toxic forgiveness" and not realizing Trey was not getting what he needed from her.
In his adult life, Trey began to work through some of his past emotions. As a result, Trey opened up to his mother, stating that he didn't feel she nurtured him enough as a child. "One of the things that my son said to me when he started to do the work [on forgiveness], one of the things that came up for him, he felt that he wasn't loved," she told Jada. "I said, 'Oh my God, your father loved you, what are you talking about?' He said, 'I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about you.'" The mother and son then dug into the experiences he had during his formative years that made him feel this way. "When he was little, and he would fall, or something would happen, he'd be disappointed. Because I was around so many women, I would be like you're okay. ... Instead of just sit in that space with him, and just be there, [and say] 'How you feel? It's okay to feel.'" she stated.
Trey Smith made regular appearances in his father's vlogs
In 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith launched "Red Table Talk." That same year, Will Smith made his way to YouTube and began vlogging. The "Men In Black" star's YouTube videos not only gave fans another glimpse into his family's everyday life and travel adventures, but provided him a platform where he could share little pearls of inspiration and wisdom. And his eldest son, Trey Smith, quickly became a fixture of his YouTube channel. Whether he is discussing "the birds and the bees," making fun of Will's fear of mice, or participating in a slow-motion stunt that involved gently "punching" Will in the face, Trey has been a regular in his father's vlogs since its conception.
When Trey attended the 2018 Streamy Awards, he was quick to sing his dad's praises. "I'm so proud of my dad, he never stops," Trey said in a red carpet interview. "I feel like he spent some time away but then came back really strong. He found his new niche, and he's just going for it. He's just doing his thing. So, I'm really proud of him."
Trey Smith embraces his blended family
Despite Trey Smith's mother, Sheree Zampino, and his stepmother, Jada Pinkett Smith, getting off on the wrong foot, Will Smith made sure Trey got along with his other side of the family. Though it may have been awkward at first, Trey eventually transitioned into a loving older brother to his younger siblings, Jaden and Willow Smith. So much so that he regularly uses his Instagram to express his love for them. Trey frequently posts about his younger siblings' artistic endeavors, like Jaden's 2018 EP, "The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story" or Willow's 2019 album, "WILLOW,"
His siblings aren't the only ones to have a place on his Instagram. From his inclusion in her Facebook show "Red Table Talk" to their collaborative ad for her "Hey Human" products, Trey has since embraced his "bonus mom." This was made apparent on September 18, 2019, when he penned a lengthy caption on Instagram detailing his appreciation for having her in his life. "You search for truth as if it were the last drop of water on the planet. You've turned unconditional love into an Olympic sport," he wrote. "I'm forever grateful to acknowledge and share another beautiful trip around the sun with you. ... Happy Birthday Bonus Mom."
After the Oscars slap, Trey Smith kept mum
If there's one thing people remember about the 2022 Oscars, it's Will Smith and Chris Rock's physical altercation. After Rock made a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense in the middle of the ceremony, Will made a beeline for the stage and slapped the standup comic. Will, who won an Academy Award that same night for his work in "King Richard," was banned from the ceremony for ten years. Will apologized to Rock, and Rock apologized to Jada.
Following the incident, Will's family shared their reactions. Jaden Smith promptly took to X (formerly known as Twitter), and wrote, "And that's how we do it." In a 2023 interview with Hoda Kotb for "Today," Jada recalled how surreal the moment felt. "I'm just out of it 'cause I really worried about Will," she remembered. "It's not him whatsoever." And in an August 2022 interview with Billboard, Willow Smith reflected on the way fallibility and celebrity overlap. "I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness," she said. "Because of the position that we're in, our humanness sometimes isn't accepted, and we're expected to act in a way that isn't conducive to a healthy human life and isn't conducive to being honest."
Trey Smith, meanwhile, hasn't said too much about the moment. Sheree Zampino told Fox News that she and Trey had a quick chat after the Oscars where her son told her Will was doing "great" and left it at that.
Trey Smith turned his love for gaming into a potential career
Aside from sports and music, Trey Smith is also an avid gamer. Through partnering with Xbox numerous times — whether it be their Forza Horizon franchise or Madden — Trey made himself known in the gaming community. Eventually, Trey began to play with the idea of becoming a streamer. In the aforementioned red carpet interview he gave at the 2018 Streamy Awards, Trey noted that he'd thrown his hat in the pro streamer ring. As someone who's overly introspective like his father, he expressed that streaming is his way to spread positivity on the internet.
While he hasn't reached the level of other popular Twitch gamers like Ninja, Trey has not let go of this passion. In addition to creating his own Twitch account, Trey took to Instagram in 2023 to update his fans on his regular streaming schedule. As for the games he's decided to stream, it seems he is heavily into the battle royale first-person shooter "Fortnite," a game that is incredibly popular amongst young gamers on the streaming platform. Despite only having a little over 300 followers, it seems Trey is invested in this new journey as he regularly uploads clips from his stream on Instagram.