On his mother Caroline Bright’s 87th birthday, Will Smith took to Instagram to share a heartwarming throwback photo, capturing a moment of shared laughter between the two. The actor expressed his birthday wishes with a caption that read, “Happy Bday, Mom-Mom! 87 today,” accompanied by an acknowledgment of the special bond they share, stating, “There’s nothing like laughing with your Mother. ❤️”
Caroline Bright, a former Philadelphia school board member, is the mother of Will Smith and his three siblings—older sister Pamela and younger twins, Harry and Ellen. Her marriage to Will’s father, Willard Carroll Smith Sr., came to an end during Will’s teenage years, culminating in a legal divorce in 2000. Willard Sr., with whom Will had a tumultuous relationship, passed away in 2016.
Will Smith has consistently used social media to pay tribute to his mother, affectionately referred to as “Mom-Mom.” In 2022, he shared a touching video of the duo dancing to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” to celebrate her 85th birthday. The video captured a joyous moment as they sang the chorus, swayed, snapped their fingers, and engaged in a smooth spin.
“85 Today! Happy Bday, Mom-Mom,” he wrote in the accompanying caption, expressing a desire to continue dancing their way to 100.
The actor’s 2021 memoir, “Will,” delves into the complex dynamics of his parents’ relationship and its impact on his childhood. In a poignant revelation, he recounted witnessing his father physically assault his mother when he was just 9 years old. The traumatic incident left an indelible mark on Will, shaping his perspectives on life and career.
Reflecting on that pivotal moment, Will Smith wrote, “Within everything that I have done since then — the awards and accolades, the spotlights and attention, the characters and the laughs — there has been a subtle string of apologies to my mother for my inaction that day. For failing her in the moment. For failing to stand up to my father.”
In another revealing anecdote from the memoir, Will disclosed that he covered an unpaid $140,000 child support debt owed by Willard Sr. to Caroline upon their divorce in 2000. Caroline, upon learning of this act of financial support, humorously returned the money, becoming, as Will put it, “the first person in the history of Pennsylvania to pay her own child back the back child support that they had paid for themselves.”
