Willow Smith Recalls Mom Jada Pinkett Smith Experiencing ‘Intense’ Sexism & Racism While On Tour W/ Her Rock Band: People Gave Her Death Threats, Threw Glass On The Stage

Willow Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith

Willow Smith Recalls Mom Jada Pinkett Smith Experiencing ‘Intense’ Sexism & Racism While On Tour W/ Her Rock Band: People Gave Her Death Threats, Threw Glass On The Stage

Celebrities have continued to prove they aren’t exempt from racist and sexist treatment, and Willow Smith is sharing how she saw her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, endure it all.

In an interview with L’Officiel, Willow Smith opened up about going on tour with her mom, who at the time was the lead singer of a rock band Wicked Wisdom. 

She explained how, as a black woman, Jada Pinkett Smith “got so much hate.”

Willow Smith said,

“It was intense racism and sexism, just packed on to the tens. People giving her death threats, throwing glass at her onstage. Some crazy stuff went down when she was touring with her band.”  

She added,

“I got to see that hate firsthand. It was so scary to me, and I think I internalized a little bit.”

She said that now that she’s following in her mom’s footsteps, she has taken notes of how her mom dealt with racist and sexist moments in the past to overcome.

“Every time I feel that coming on, I just go back to my memories of my mom and how she would deal with actual physical danger—she just rose above it. Obviously, she was scared. But she really showed me what ‘womaning up’ really was, by taking a stance and not being afraid of other people’s judgments and perceptions.”

As for her own musical career, she’s previously said her popular Whip My Hair single was one that she often regrets. But it looks like she’s had a change of heart as she said,

“I’m not saying anything that’s against my values, and on top of that, I’m saying things that are in harmony with my values. I kind of just had a huge aha and was like, ‘Yo, don’t condemn this side of your life because it gave you a foundation and a platform and a fan base of so many loving individuals who have been by my side through this whole crazy, topsy-turvy journey that I’ve had. Now, I would never take it back.'”

What are your thoughts on what Willow Smith shared? Comment and let us know.