Jaden Smith celebrated his 21st birthday in July, and his dad posted a video from the day that included a toast that was both sweet and funny. Proud papa Will also posted about Jaden’s free vegan food truck, which provides meals to LA’s homeless population. Jaden’s also done work to help provide clean water to the residents of Flint, Michigan. He seems like a conscientious person who is using his fame, connections, and platform to do good in the world and help others.
On an episode of Jada’s Red Table Talk featuring their entire family, Jada and Will shared that Jaden recently needed help. They were growing concerned that Jaden had become too thin after adopting a vegan diet. People has more:
On the Facebook Watch series’ latest episode, host Jada Pinkett Smith was joined by her entire family — husband Will, children Willow and Jaden, mom Adrienne Banfield-Jones, and Will’s son Trey — to discuss eating habits in their family.
And when the conversation turned to Jaden, 21, his parents revealed that they had to step in when he lost a significant amount of weight.
“Will and I had a bit of an intervention with Jaden because he’s a vegan now, but we realized he wasn’t getting enough protein,” said Jada, 48. “So he was wasting away. He just looked drained, he was just depleted, he wasn’t getting the nutrients.”
Added Will, 50, “He had the dark circles under his eyes, there was even a little grayness to his skin. We got really nervous, but you are definitely looking better now.”
I’m glad that Jaden’s parents stepped in when they grew concerned that he possibly wasn’t getting enough protein and that that was negatively impacting his health. Jaden also confirmed that he’s currently a vegetarian. In that episode Will talked about working to lose weight after he’d gained (for him) a significant amount, and that fasting led to his blood pressure dropping. He’d been taking blood pressure medication, and stopped taking it and felt great, and wondered whether he “was eating himself into high blood pressure.” Yikes. I hope he went to the doctor, though, to determine if the blood pressure medication was needed rather than just completely going off it. As for Jaden, it’s great that he’s doing better, and that being a vegetarian is (it seems) helping him maintain his health. Hopefully, now he’ll be able to focus on whatever projects he’s currently working on.
Here are some clips from that Red Table Talk episode, which you can watch here.
photos credit: WENN and Getty
The Smith children are quite strange. I wonder if they are financially Abel to support themselves or will they forever be getting money from their parents?
They’re only 18 and 21 and have both been working for years. They have definitely benefited from nepotism (just like many many others in Hollywood) but are still very young to be referred to as freeloaders.
jaden has given clean water to flint and started a vegan food truck feeding LA’s homeless for free. he’s only 21. who cares how “strange” they are when they are doing good in the world and clearly care about others?
I read an article a couple of days ago where Will was talking about it:
” The “Aladdin” star said his family called him “Pudgemuffin” on a recent vacation because he would eat five muffins in the morning and wash it down with a vodka lunch.”
And it sounds like there’s a lot more issues than just not getting enough nutrients from going vegan.
Exactly. How dumb do they think people are?
I’m sorry, but if I could eat five muffins in the morning and then wash it down with a vodka lunch, I would be so there! LOL.
Isn’t that what QEII does?!
(OK, I’m not really sorry.)
It sounds like he had very disordered eating. There’s no reason why he couldn’t get enough protein from a vegan diet, but if he wasnt eating at all or eating 1 meal a day, which wasnt planned well (from the sounds of it), of course he got sick.
As a plant based eater, I’m very healthy (doctor tested!) And I have never had an issue getting enough protein. It sounds like he was starving himself to stay thin. I wish he wouldn’t put his health issues on “vegan diet”.
Some people use a vegan diet to mask disordered eating habits. Like, I have known personally a few women who did that. Most don’t, but some do
Yes. It’s called “orthorexia.”
It kind of sounded to me like he went vegan without understanding the essentials of healthy eating (where to get protein and how to eat in general) and so that’s why he got sick. So on a vegan diet yet, but because it was a badly executed one? That would just be my take though.
@Jordana – exactly!
I was a bit unsettled by the way they postured this, as if to say that his vegan diet was the reason for his health issues. I eat a well-balanced plant-based diet and I am in better health than I ever was before.
It sounds more like Jaden had an eating disorder, to some degree.
Or he just ate the same junk, but it was vegan. My younger sister was “vegetarian” for a while when we were younger/tweens and teenagers. Instead of eating the vegetable casseroles and meals that my mom made for her, she would instead buy the fake meats (like Lone Star and Gardein…I’m sure I’m getting the names wrong), and then would eat them with something like fries. And that’s basically all she ate. Sometimes she would eat vegetable sides from our usual omnivore meals….
My mom got super pissed because she spent a long time researching what you needed in a vegetarian diet e.g. the amount of protein, for it to be ignored.
But yea. Just because you are vegan or vegetarian doesn’t mean you are healthy. There is plenty of junk food that doesn’t have dairy products or meat products in it.
Totally! The vegan junk food market is exploding!
It’s as easy to eat unhealthy as a vegan as it is for people eating an omnivore diet. But the way they explained it in Jaden’s case, made it seem like veganism was the cause of his trouble, and not unhealthy/uneducated eating.
Glad his parents stepped in.
I know Jaden gets a lot of hate here for not being in college and being “weird” etc, but I’ve always loved the Smith children. That boy gave water to Flint for goodness sake!!! I’ve also seen footage of him giving food out at his truck. Both he and his sister are very conscious of the world around them and always seem compassionate. Gotta give them more credit.
ITA. I had no idea he was doing all these wonderful community efforts. Good for him ❤️
Jaden and Willow were also part of the Climate Strike in NYC this past Friday. I love how he leverages his celebrity for environmental causes.
I agree. They march to the beat of their own drum which I respect but they are also socially and politically active people who give back and that makes me respect them even more.
I love that the Smith children are music artists but do something completely different from Will Smith’s brand of music. It would have been very easy to mass market the music with the branding of Smith kids and how they did for Willows “throw my hair back and forth”. Willow is very Indy guitar pretty music and Jaden…. is electro?? I’m not sure how to describe it but they’re not on the front of magazines like other nepotism kids.
OMG yes! Willow’s music is very good, dont know why nobody mentions it.
Eating a plant based diet didn’t cause his problems, disordered eating did. I’m glad he’s feeling better.
He was eating one meal a day and sometimes skipping that. I watched the show and they all have serious food issues.
Jada’s mom is the only one that sounds like she eats well.
Will at least likes food, Jada and the kids said they didn’t like eating food.
I had a ton of “vegan” friends in college, and it was accepted code for “anorexic”, esp for guys. I’m eye-rolling about this family, but the way they talked about his skin tone, body, energy, etc, matches realistic facts talking about young adult eating disorders. I believe them, and I’m glad they tried to step in and help.
I think they’re being very honest, in their own flashy way.