Will Smith may just run for political office in the near future. During an interview on Crooked Media’s “Pod Save America,” the Men in Black star was asked about his interest in pursuing a career in politics, and he didn’t exactly rule out the idea.
“I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit, and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line,” Smith said. “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, ventures into the political arena.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Smith opened up about his experiences with racism and its effects on his outlook on life. “I’ve been called [n-word] to my face probably five or six times. And fortunately for my psyche, I’ve never been called [n-word] by a smart person,” he said. “I grew up with the impression that racists and racism were stupid…I had never looked into the eyes of a racist and saw anything that I perceived as intellect.”
With much success in hip hop and in Hollywood, Smith has long flirted with the idea of a possible future in politics.
In 1999, after then-president Bill Clinton invited him to spend a night at The White House, he allegedly told him to keep his room warm. “That might sound foolish to some,” the Bad Boys actor recalled when speaking to the NY Daily News.”But, in my mind, if Ronald Reagan can become president, then why not Will Smith?”
Years later, during Donald Trump’s 2015 presidential run, Smith indirectly referred to the reality star and his antics while again contemplating a move into politics. “If people keep saying all the crazy kinds of stuff they’ve been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims, they’re going to force me into the political arena,” he told “CBS Sunday Morning” at the time.
That same year, amid his appearance on “The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter,” the “Summertime” rapper said, “As I look at the political landscape, I think that there might be a future out there for me. They might need me out there.”
“This is the first year that I’ve been incensed to a level that I can’t sleep, you know?” he continued. “So I’m feeling that at some point in the near future, I will have to lend my voice to the conversation in a…different way.”