In a new clip from his upcoming interview with Oprah obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Will Smith discussed spending a night in jail and having his home and cars seized before his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame.
Back in 1989, Will Smith was reportedly arrested after he allegedly asked his bodyguard, Charles Alston, to attack record promoter William Hendricks, leading him to almost lose sight in one eye. Charges were later dismissed.
As part of the new interview with Oprah promoting his upcoming memoir, Oprah said, "So right before Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I think people would be surprised to know, this is the first time, I realized…you basically lost everything."
Oprah then continued, "The government seized your cars, it took your home, you ended up in jail. You describe it in two words actually, 'rock bottom.' What was at the root of that downfall, Will? And the life lesson you took from it?"
Will's response was to say, "When it rains, it pours. So getting into the fight at the radio station, Charlie [Alston] punching the dude that landed me in jail, so the money is gone, the car is gone. I am laying on the floor in a jail cell and I am like, 'You've got to be kidding me!'"
"I won a Grammy eight months ago. Like, what is happening?" he added. "And it's just the spiral when it starts going the other way. It's like, sometimes you just have to get out the way and wait until the downward spiral stops."
Oprah herself would end up appearing in a 1992 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, titled "A Night at the Oprah."
This isn't the only revelation to have come out ahead of Will's autobiography — a passage shows him contemplating killing his father to "avenge" his mother after years of violence.
The Oprah Conversation: Will Smith premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, Nov. 5.
