Jaden Smith’s recent appearance in Paris is bringing some controversy to him and his high-profile family.
On June 23, the 26-year-old actor and artist and an unidentified male were captured on camera in the City of Light as they sat on a park bench next to a device for smoking and a lighter, though they were not pictured using them.
The clips show Jaden wearing baggy light-colored jeans, a white shirt, a yellow jacket and a red fitted cap. His friend wore a black shirt, black pants and a black hat. One shot shows the two in the park at 3 a.m., and another show the pair walking toward some unknown destination.
In a video shared by Hollywood Fix, Jaden and this pal of his were recorded listening to music while sitting on the bench.
Jaden appeared to rock his head back and forth to the beat while his friend sat still, only moving to yawn and check his phone a couple of times.
Jaden, who’s frequently seen in Paris, was just spotted in the same city last week sharing the stage with his infamous father Will Smith.
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star has been getting back in his music bag after 20 years of not dropping new music. He released his first album since 2005 in March, “Based On A True Story.”
During his June 15 performance in the U.K. at the Capital’s Summertime Ball in London, Will called on Jaden to join him onstage to greet the audience at Wembley Stadium, where the father and son duo embraced before Will continued performing.
Speculation about Jaden’s behavior is nothing new, as he’s often drawn attention for his eccentric style of dress and past public drama with his ex-girlfriend, Sab Zada, who has accused him of cheating.
Now the sight of him in Paris has internet scolds looking at his father and his mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, as responsible for his behavior.
The Daily Mail’s post about Jaden’s Paris park appearance led the tabloid’s readers to issue some pointed comments.
One person said, “Great parenting, Will and Jada. Not.”
Another commented, “Can you blame him having the parents he’s got,” while a third bluntly stated, “Will and Jada really messed those kids up!”
Jaden has been in the entertainment industry since his adolescent days appearing alongside his dad in box office hits, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”
“He had true potential when he was a kid and a young actor,” said a fourth person. “He should’ve kept going with that. Now he acts like a wannabe who is trying to find their identity.”
Another critique wrote, “Jada and her free parenting ways did a STAND UP job with those kids. And Will was just a puppet. Thank god son #1 had a different mom.”
From their nearly 28-year-old marriage, Will and Jada share their two children, Jaden and their daughter Willow, 24, together. Will welcomed his eldest son Trey, 32, with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino.
The “Emancipation” actor recently took accountability for the way he and Jada chose to parent their children and warned people not to mimic their methods.
Will spoke candidly about this subject during a June 13 episode on the U.K. radio show “Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden.”
“We made a very, very, very terrible mistake with our children and we went with radical honesty. Don’t do it,” he said as the room erupted in laughter. “I’m not advocating for it.”
“We made a deal like from really young with our kids. The deal was if you tell the truth, you won’t get in trouble,” Smith continued. “The only way you can get in trouble in this house is if we find out you did something and you don’t tell the truth. And it’s a mistake. It’s terrible because they do whatever they want and they just come tell you.”
Laughing, he continued, “It’s awful. Don’t try it. You want your kids to lie. You definitely — you don’t want to know some of the stuff your kids are thinking and doing.”
