How the five members of the Smith family make their money

Inside the Smith showbiz dynasty

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Since marrying in 1997, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been one of Hollywood's hottest power couples, boasting an estimated combined fortune of $400 million (£313m). The superstars have three adult children between them – Trey, Jaden, and Willow – who are also rich and famous in their own right.

Read on to take a look inside the Smith showbiz dynasty, and discover how Will, Jada, and their kids make their money. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars

Will Smith

THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images

Born on 25 September 1968, Will is the patriarch of the Smith family. Today, he has a staggering estimated fortune of $350 million (£274m) and is one of the highest-paid actors of the past 20 years.

However, Smith came from humble beginnings. His mother was a school administrator, while his father was a refrigerator engineer.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Will Smith grew up in West Philadelphia, where he met Jeffrey Townes, a local DJ who went by the stage name DJ Jazzy Jeff. Smith and Townes (pictured together) quickly became friends and formed the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.

In 1986, when Smith was just 18 years old, the duo scored a record deal with the label Jive. The following year, they released their first album, Rock the House, which reached certified gold status.

Megabucks from music

Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives

Their second studio album, 1988's He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper, sold over three million copies. The following year, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince won the first-ever Grammy in the newly formed Best Rap Performance category for their track Parents Just Don't Understand.

The duo went on to release three more albums between 1989 and 1993, and during the peak of their success between 1988 and 1990 Smith reportedly made $10 million. In today's money, that's around $25 million (£19.5m).

From riches to rags

Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

When Will achieved millionaire status, he certainly wasn't shy about splashing his cash. As well as generously treating his friends and family to lavish gifts, the rising star splurged on cars, houses, clothes, and jewels for himself.

However, Smith failed to pay his taxes, and, by the time he was 21, he owed $2.8 million to the IRS – or around $6.9 million (£5.4m) today –and was left totally broke. Opening up about his former financial ruin on his YouTube channel, Smith once said: "Being famous and broke is a ****** combination because you're still famous and people recognise you, but they recognise you while you're sitting next to them on the bus."

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Harry Langdon/Getty Images

Smith's luck changed when he was asked by producer Quincy Jones to star in a sitcom. At first, Smith wasn't keen on the idea, although the promise of a juicy salary quickly changed his mind.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premiered in 1990 and Smith starred in the series for six years until it wrapped in 1996. However, the IRS took a 70% cut of his salary for the first three years until his debts were finally cleared.

Opening up about this period of his life in a 2019 interview with 60 Minutes, the Hollywood star admitted: "It’s terrible to have that kind of success and have to quietly be broke."

Early silver screen roles

Sony Pictures

Smith scored his first major movie role in the 1993 comedy-drama Six Degrees of Separation, for which he was paid $500,000, around $1.1 million (£860k) in today's money. Two years later, he starred in the action-comedy Bad Boys (pictured), earning a more generous $2 million – the equivalent of $4.2 million (£3.3m) today.

Though these early paydays are certainly not to be sniffed at, they're a pittance compared to what the megastar can command today...

Smith's supersized salaries

Columbia Pictures/Getty Images

Between 1993 and 2013, Smith reportedly banked an incredible $200 million (£157m) from his acting career. During this period, he starred in iconic blockbusters such as Men in Black (pictured), Independence Day, I Am Legend, and Hancock. 

Smith's biggest movie payday ever was 2012's Men in Black 3, for which he earned an eye-watering $100 million, the equivalent of $139 million (£109m) today. The shrewd star negotiated a performance-based deal, which paid off big time when the sci-fi sequel became a box office hit.

Critical acclaim and controversy

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The now veteran star has been nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award three times. The first time was for his portrayal of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biopic Ali, while his second nod was for the 2006 drama The Pursuit of Happyness.

It was a case of third time lucky when Smith finally won the prestigious Best Actor Oscar in 2022 for the biopic King Richard, in which he played Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena. Not only did his powerhouse performance garner the actor critical acclaim, but he was also paid a generous $40 million for the project, which is around $43 million (£34m) in 2024 money.

Unfortunately, Smith's big win was overshadowed after he slapped Academy Awards host Chris Rock live on air for making a joke about his wife Jada. The now-infamous incident made headlines around the globe and earned him a 10-year ban from the Motion Picture Academy.

Producer projects

Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic

Smith's most recent project is Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the highly-anticipated fourth instalment of the Bad Boys franchise, which premiered in cinemas this June. It's also his first big role since "Slapgate". However, Smith's career isn't solely reliant on acting for success.

Together with his wife Jada and producer James Lassiter, he co-owns the production company Overbrook Entertainment.

Overbrook Entertainment has not only produced movies starring Smith, such as Annie (2014) and King Richard (2021), but also spearheaded major Netflix projects like the teen romcom To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and the Karate Kid spin-off Cobra Kai.

Social media star

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Outside of movies and music, Will Smith has made some serious money from other revenue streams. He was an early investor in Uber and founded the venture capital fund Dreamers VC with retired Japanese soccer star Keisuke Honda.

He's also one of the most followed stars on social media and rakes it in on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. In 2020, the Evening Standard reported that he could earn as much as $107,500 ($130k/£102k in today's money) for a sponsored post on TikTok, which made him the highest-paid celebrity on the app at the time, placing him ahead of Dwayne Johnson, Ariana Grande, and Justin Bieber.

Jada Pinkett Smith

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Now on to the matriarch of the Smith dynasty, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was born on 18 September 1971. A star in her own right, Jada is estimated to be independently worth $50 million (£39m).

Up-and-coming actress

Victor Malafronte/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Maryland native Jada graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 1989. The up-and-coming actress soon scored minor roles in TV shows such as True Colors, 21 Jump Street, and A Different World.

She landed her first silver screen part in the 1993 crime drama Menace II Society, though her big break came when she was cast as Eddie Murphy’s love interest in the 1996 comedy The Nutty Professor.

Hollywood star

Warner Bros.

Now a bona fide Hollywood star, Jada has appeared in many successful films and TV projects, ranging from the comedy movie Magic Mike XXL to the superhero series Gotham. She even had a starring vocal role as Gloria the hippopotamus in the family film franchise Madagascar.

However, she's arguably best known for playing Niobe in the blockbuster The Matrix franchise (pictured). Interestingly, Will Smith was offered the leading role of Neo in the mind-bending movie.

However, he famously turned down a multimillion-dollar payday and rejected the part as he didn’t want to be typecast as "the alien movie guy", having recently wrapped filming on Independence Day.

Passion for producing

Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic

As mentioned, Jada co-owns the production company Overbrook Entertainment. She’s helped helm projects such as the Apple TV+ drama movie Hala (2019) and the Netflix documentary series African Queens: Njinga (2023).

Most notably, Jada executive produced and starred in the medical drama Hawthorne between 2009 and 2011, for which she reportedly earned a cool $150,000 per episode – or around $214,000 (£167k) in today's money.

Heavy metal singer

Nick Valinote/FilmMagic

While we all know that Jada is a renowned actress, you might be surprised to learn that she’s also a musician. Under the stage name Jada Koren, she was once the lead singer and songwriter of heavy metal band Wicked Wisdom (pictured).

The group opened for Britney Spears on the European leg of her 2004 tour and released their eponymous debut album in 2006. However, with no new music or albums in the pipeline, it seems that this particular project might be on ice.

Savvy side hustles

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Over the years, Jada has profited from several savvy side hustles. These include launching the clothing line Maja in 1994, as well as publishing a children's poetry book titled Girls Hold Up the World in 2004.

Most recently, Jada published her "no holds barred" memoir titled Worthy in 2023. 

Red Table Talk

Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Jada hosted chat show Red Table Talk along with her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris and her daughter Willow Smith for five seasons between 2018 and 2022. The show featured a slew of A-list guests over the years, including Demi Moore, Snoop Dogg, Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kim Basinger.

Widely praised for its no-holds-barred approach, Red Table Talk won the Outstanding Talk Show Informative Emmy Award in 2021. However, Jada announced on social media that her talk show was looking for a "new home" after Facebook Watch axed it.

Now we've discovered how Will and Jada make their millions, let's take a look at the next generation of the Smith dynasty...

Trey Smith

Jemal Countess/FilmMagic

Born 11 November 1992, Trey Smith is the eldest son of Will Smith and the stepson of Jada Pinkett Smith. His mother is the American actress Sheree Zampino, who was married to Will between 1992 and 1995.

Trey is estimated to be worth a cool $2 million (£1.6m). So how does he make his money?

Budding music star

Donna Ward/Getty Images

For the most part, Trey (pictured on the right here with his famous family) has stayed out of the spotlight, and little is known about either his professional or private life. We do know that he was reportedly offered a football scholarship at Northern Arizona University back in 2010.

He's also active in the music industry, originally releasing music under his DJ project, AcE, and collaborating with his siblings, Jaden and Willow. In recent times, he's released two songs under his own name, Mom & Babe and Out Of KnoWWhere, and a collaboration track with artist Ky Almighty titled On the Other Side.

Jaden Smith

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Born 8 July 1998, Jaden Smith is the firstborn son of Will and Jada. At just 25 years old, Jaden is already estimated to be worth an impressive $8 million (£6.3m).

So how has he managed to amass such a healthy fortune?

Child star

Steve Granitz/WireImage

A former child star, Jaden made his acting debut in the sitcom All of Us at just five years old. He scored his first movie role in 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness, in which he starred opposite his famous father.

His first leading role was opposite screen legend Jackie Chan (the pair are pictured together here) in the 2010 remake of classic 80s movie The Karate Kid. Since then, the young star has appeared in a handful of other projects, ranging from the 2013 sci-fi blockbuster After Earth to the 2018 indie flick Skate Kitchen.

Jaden the rapper

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Like his famous folks, Jaden is musically talented and first demonstrated his vocal abilities when he rapped a verse on the Justin Bieber song Never Say Never in 2010. After releasing several hip-hop mixtapes, his much-anticipated debut studio album Syre dropped in 2017.

Jaden followed up with 2019's Erys and 2020's CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3. In February, the young star teased on social media that he would be releasing a new album soon. Watch this space!

Green business

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

When he was 12 years old, Jaden founded the eco-friendly drinks company JUST Water with the help of his parents. The 100% spring water is packaged in a refillable and recyclable plant-based paper carton that's made from 82% renewable materials.

Jaden was inspired to launch the business after becoming concerned about plastic littering the ocean. JUST Water was valued at an impressive $100 million in 2019, the equivalent of $122 million (£96m) in today's money.

Fashion forward

James Devaney/GC Images

The business-savvy star has also launched a clothing company, MSFTSrep, with sister Willow. Jaden was reportedly inspired to create the brand after he struggled to find clothes that matched his unique sense of style.

His streetwear and accessory collection is available online.

Willow Smith

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Born 31 October 2000, Willow Smith is Will and Jada's youngest child. The 23-year-old is already worth a tidy $6 million (£4.7m), so let's explore how she's amassed her millions...

Acting projects

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Willow made her screen debut at the tender age of seven, appearing opposite her famous father in the apocalypse movie I Am Legend. She's pictured here at its 2007 premiere.

Other notable acting credits include the tween TV series True Jackson, VP, and a voice role in the Madagascar film franchise, though the young starlet is undoubtedly best known for her music career...

Music star

Simone Joyner/Getty Images

Willow exploded onto the music scene aged 10 when she released her catchy pop bop Whip My Hair in 2010. That same year, she became the youngest artist to ever be signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label.

The songstress's long-awaited debut album Ardipithecus dropped in 2015, and she’s released six more studio albums since, including a collab album with musician Tyler Cole. Her latest record, 2024's Empathogens, reached the number one spot in the contemporary jazz album charts.

Throughout her career, she's collaborated with some of the hottest names in music, including Nicki Minaj, Camila Cabello and Machine Gun Kelly.

Modelling moves

Willow Smith/Instagram

Away from movies and music, the striking star has also made money from modelling, having graced the front covers of high-end fashion magazines such as Vogue Hong Kong, Elle France, and Nylon. She's also served as the face of luxury fashion house Mugler's Alien Goddess perfume (pictured).

From one showbiz family to another: discover how Billy Ray Cyrus and his six kids make and spend their money