In 2014, Jaden Smith made headlines when he supposedly wanted to be emancipated from his famous parents. In an interview with The Sun, Will Smith disclosed that his son wanted to strike out on his own for his 15th birthday. Will reportedly told the outlet, “He says, ‘Dad, I want to be emancipated.’ I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like ‘Ooh,’ That’s the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand” (via Buzzfeed).
In a 2018 episode of “Red Table Talk,” Jada Pinkett Smith talked about the emancipation with her son. She told him, “I remember this day specifically, it’s probably one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life. You got to a point where you told me straight up, you were like, ‘Mom, I have to leave here to live my life.'” She added, “Being in this lifestyle, in this world is a bubble, and [Jaden] wanted out. I understood that because I didn’t have the bubble. I knew what having my freedom outside the bubble, what I gained from that. I knew the sooner I let him go, the faster he was going to come back” (via Buzzfeed).
Smith didn’t emancipate himself, but he did move out and purchase his own house a month before his 18th birthday, according to People.
