Will Smith is hitting the road to promote his self-titled memoir, “Will,” released November 9. The book tour, “Will Smith: An Evening of Stories with Friends,” kicked off in Smith’s hometown of Philadelphia and will make stops in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. During Monday’s event, hosted by Queen Latifah and held at the Met Philly, Smith opened up about his journey from a West Philadelphia kid to a Grammy-winning rapper and Oscar-nominated actor. “I felt like I had suffered enough and won enough that I could share something that would be helpful,” Smith said of the motivation behind the book. “It’s really critical to suffer and to overcome adversity.” Footage from the Philly tour stop is available to stream online until November 15. Smith’s tour will hit the Kings Theater in Brooklyn November 9, followed by The Chicago Theater November 10, and the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on November 11.
Tickets are selling out fast, but you can still score passes for select locations via Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats, Stub Hub, and Seat Geek. Tickets start at $50 to $60.
Smith’s memoir has been two years in the making, he revealed during an episode of “The Oprah Conversation” on Apple TV+. In the book, Smith opens up about the highs and lows of his childhood, including witnessing his father physically abuse his mother, and feeling like he let her down because he didn’t intervene. He also speaks on convincing his parents to let him become a rapper (although hip-hop was relatively new at the time, Smith went on to become the first rapper to win a Grammy in the Best Rap Performance), and his career-shifting role in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Other topics include Smith’s more than 20-year marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, his first marriage to Sheree Zampino, falling in love with his “Six Degrees of Separation” co-star, Stockard Channing. Smith also discusses his three children Trey, Willow, and Jaden. Besides the new book, Smith has a couple of other projects on the way. The highly anticipated “King Richard,” where Smith stars as Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on November 19. Audiences will get a front-row seat as Smith sets out on another trek (much larger than his book tour) in the six-part documentary series “Welcome to Earth,” which chronicles his explorations of some of the planet’s most fascinating locations. The series debuts on Disney+ in December. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
