The Coachella stage has become renowned for internet-breaking and world-stopping moments, from Beyoncé making history in 2018 to that other time Frank Ocean made history in 2023 (for all the wrong reasons).
The hallowed stages of the internationally renowned festival have also welcomed a list of musicians so starry it warrants a constellation, with the current 2024 edition alone boasting headliners like Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and Tyler, The Creator. Often, the best performers are the ones who bring out surprise special guests.
For Beyoncé, it was a mid-set reunion of her former girl group Destiny’s Child, and this year’s batch of Coachella entrants has followed her lead. For her part, Lana Del Rey enlisted Billie Eilish for her headlining set, while Tyler, The Creator brought out fellow hip hop artist Childish Gambino, and Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp tapped Kesha.
Elsewhere, Paris Hilton joined Vampire Weekend on stage during their show, while Olivia Rodrigo graced the stage during a performance by the Gwen Stefani-led band, No Doubt. Perhaps the buzziest surprise guest came courtesy of J Balvin, who enlisted a certain Oscar-slapper and Man In Black for his set at Coachella on April 14.
Was Will Smith at Coachella?
Audiences at J Balvin’s Coachella performance were wowed when the Colombian singer and ‘Mi Gente’ hitmaker brought out Will Smith towards the end of his set. The actor appeared on stage in Ray Ban sunglasses and a black suit, in reference to the Men In Black franchise. Naturally, Smith busted out a rendition of his 1997 hit “Men In Black”, which of course featured on the namesake film’s soundtrack.
Smith’s appearance at Coachella is fitting not only because he is a musician himself — having released four studio albums since 1997 — but because of the theme of J Balvin’s set. The singer based his performance around extraterrestrial displays, seemingly in alignment with the alien-fighting characters of Men In Black.
For extra measure, Smith delivered his cameo alongside projections of green dancing aliens, and resurrected some of the dance moves from the original “Men In Black” music video. J Balvin again referenced the sci-fi film upon Smith’s exit from the stage, subjecting him to a fake memory-erasing machine after which he quickly disappeared.
Alongside “Men In Black,” Balvin’s set list also included snippets of songs like Usher’s “Yeah!” and Cardi B’s “I Like It”.
Will wasn’t the only member of the Smith family to appear at Coachella. Across the festival, his daughter, WILLOW, joined Jon Batiste on stage for his performance, with Jada Pinkett Smith and Jaden Smith spotted in attendance.
