Will Smith and his mother, Caroline Bright, have something to dance about. On Monday (Jan. 17), the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor posted a video to his Instagram of himself and his mother celebrating her 85th birthday, and chose an appropriate Whitney Houston track to celebrate the occasion.
“85 Today! Happy Bday, Mom-Mom. Let’s dance our way to 100,” Smith, 53, captioned the video, which features the mother-son duo dancing to “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by the late Grammy winner in an outdoor patio. In the sweet clip, the Oscar-nominated actor also sings joyously along with Houston’s vocals.
Smith’s friend and former rap collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff wished Bright well in the comments section and wrote, “Happy Birthday Mom!!!!” Jamie Foxx also chimed in with his own comment, and wished Smith’s mother a happy birthday as well.
The King Richard star previously opened up about his relationship with his mother in his memoir, It Takes Will, and revealed that he felt guilty for being unable to protect his mom from his abusive father when he was younger. “Within everything that I have done since then — the awards and accolades, the spotlights and the attention, the characters and the laughs — there has been a subtle string of apologies to my mother for my inaction that day,” the actor wrote. “For failing her in that moment. For failing to stand up to my father. For being a coward.”
Smith is an executive producer for Peacock’s Fresh Prince reboot, titled Bel-Air. The drama series is set to arrive on Feb. 13.
Watch Smith and Bright dance with each other in the video below.
