Will Smith has said that he is considering running for political office in the future.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel Air star has been open about entering into politics in the future. In 2015, Smith told CBS Sunday Morning that he felt compelled to run for office running up against Donald Trump in 2016. This, however failed to materialise.
Speaking on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert in August 2016, Smith had said, “I was thinking about it but, you know, I watched (Barack) Obama for the last 8 years and that’s a hard job”.
He added, “I definitely have had the itching. I have lots of views and ideas and sometimes I hear people say things on television and I just want to run against them”.
“Some point down the line”
Speaking on a recent Pod Save America podcast, Smith again mentioned the idea of running for office, without giving an official timescale.
Referring to Joe Biden’s inauguration as US President, Smith said, “I think for now I’ll let that (US presidential) office get cleaned up a little bit, and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line”.
He continued, “I absolutely have an opinion: I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people and I believe in the possibility of harmony”.
“I will certainly do my part, whether it remains artistic or, at some point, venture into the political arena”.
Will Smith also spoke on the podcast about his Netflix special, Amend: The Fight for America. This explores the drive for equal rights through the 14th Amendment. This special is currently streaming on Netflix.
Smith said that he had been looking for a way to help America heal again after the death of George Floyd last year. He added that a friend then educated him about the 14th Amendment.
“The 14th Amendment is essentially the center of what we think of when we think of ourselves as Americans,” Smith stated.
“The 14th Amendment is like the all-inclusive amendment that makes clear that all Americans are equal under the law”.
This prompted him to produce this 6 part series that he hopes will help to educate people about racism.
“Ignorance can be educated. Evil is a much more difficult problem. Fortunately, ignorance is much more prevalent than blatant evil”.
This all comes after Will Smith had reunited with DJ Jazzy Jeff to perform on the set of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air Reunion show.