Is Will Smith affiliated with a religion?

Will Smith is easily one of the most recognized movie stars in the world. His celebrity began with his career as a rapper turned actor in the hit 1990s NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His charming demeanor and comedic wit catapulted him to superstardom and a successful career as one of America’s favorite leading men. Yet with stardom comes the intensity of life in the spotlight and for Smith, it was not just aimed at his professional prowess. Smith’s personal life has always been in the headlines – from marrying fellow celeb Jada Pinkett Smith to his infamous Oscar slap. Fans want to know everything about what the former Fresh Prince of Belle Air has going on behind closed doors, including his religious affiliation.

For years there have been rumors of one type or another about Smith and his (separated – as recently revealed) wife Jada’s religious preferences and affiliations. It was whispered that they were involved with a new religion that was sweeping the celeb scene by storm, a belief system called Scientology. There was even talk the couple were so involved, that they ran one of the training schools. But is there any merit to the rumors?

Is Will Smith a Scientologist?

There is a persistent rumor that Will Smith belongs to the Church of Scientology. Scientology is a “set of beliefs and practices” created by L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 in Los Angeles. It has become very controversial over the last decade and has even been called a cult. It was initially very popular in celebrity circles with such members as Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley, John Travolta, Elisabeth Moss, and Jenna Elfman. Leah Remini — of the hit show King of Queens — is a former member who has since come out publicly about some of the cult-like practices of the organization in her series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

It was rumored that the Smiths were also affiliated with the Church, so much so that it was claimed Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith ran a secret Scientology school. Many teachers who were affiliated with the now-shuttered New Village Leadership Academy said it was “essentially a Scientology school.” One of the founders of the school, Jacqueline Olivier, said that while there were no explicit instructions to teach the religion, many of the teachers were in fact followers of it. Olivier also said she was asked to participate in “study technology” courses based on Scientology.

“There were pictures of L. Ron Hubbard on the walls. And in the study technology book, there was a picture of [Hubbard] and a whole mini-biography of his life, and that was the first thing [kids] had to word clear — before anything. I mean, it was total Scientology. There’s no question,” Olivier said.

Pinkett Smith vehemently denied those claims.

“All I can say is it is not a Scientology school,” Pinkett Smith said in Ebony magazine. “Now, if you don’t trust me, and you are questioning my integrity, that’s a whole different matter. That is straight evil to think that I would bring families into that educational institution and then try to get them to convert into some religion.”

This came around the same time that former Scientologist Leah Remini said she spotted Jada at the Scientology center. Jada answered by saying yes, she did study the religion but that doesn’t mean she follows it. “I have prayed in mosques all over the world … but I am not a Muslim,” Jada tweeted. “I have read the Bhagavad Gita … but I am not a Hindu …. I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth … but I am not a Buddhist …. I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech … but I am not a Scientologist.”

Smith kept his answer to the question short and sweet during an appearance on Red Table Talk. “We’ve never been Scientologists.” The couple continues to hold firm to this claim today. Yet it was revealed in the couple’s 2008 tax return as reported by ABC that they gave the Church of Scientology a combined $122,500. But while it’s certainly suspicious, apparently the Church of Scientology wasn’t the only religious organization that received funds from the Smith family.

Is Will Smith still a Christian?

Smith has been fairly open about his Christian faith for many years. In the same 2008 tax return, it was revealed the family gave close to half a million dollars to various Christian organizations.

He invoked God fairly heavily in his Oscar acceptance speech just after hitting comedian Chris Rock in the face after a joke at his wife’s expense. “In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world,” he said during the speech. He also explained “Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.'”

In an interview with The Christian Post, Smith said his faith has played a huge role in his life. “You can’t get where I get if you don’t love the Lord, you don’t get to sit how I sit, move how I move if you don’t love the Lord. You’d be seeing a whole lot of other repercussions,” Smith said.

Where did Will Smith’s faith come from?

The Independence Day actor said there was one special person who instilled faith in him – his grandmother.

“My grandmother was really my connection to God. She was my spiritual teacher, she was that grandmother at the church, the one having the kids doing the Easter presentations and putting on the Christmas plays, and her kids and grandkids had to be first. She was the most spiritually certain person that I had ever met in my entire life. Even to the point that when she was dying, she was happy, like she was really excited about going to heaven.”

Smith maintains his close connections to his Christian family today while also seeming to explore other aspects of faith and belief systems. It remains to be seen how involved Smith and his wife were or still are in Scientology as they have never come out in support of it, and in fact vehemently deny it. While there are some pieces of evidence that point strongly to it, such as large financial donations and a former questionable school affiliation, the pair continue to deny all involvement, which does seem odd if they were truly involved. Smith is however very open about his Christian background, faith, and ties, so it seems more likely that his interest in Scientology — however involved it may have been — has passed.