Will Smith Sits Young Justin Bieber Down + Gives Him Some Much-Needed Fatherly Advice
As we've previously reported, all his actions seem to indicate that Justin Bieber is going off the deep end. Thankfully for him, Will Smith has been around to talk him off the high dive and convince him that squeaking violent threats at reporters is really not the answer.
Smith has been busy chaperoning his son, 14-year-old Jaden, who's one of three acts opening for Bieber while he's touring, but the former child star still had time to sit down for a heart-to-heart with the tween sensation.
We'd like to believe it started with, “Now this is the story all about how / My life got flipped, turned upside down.” But we probably couldn't be quite that lucky.
Anyway, according to sources, Smith has been acting like a “father figure." Since having Justin's mom around would totally harsh his street cred.
“Will has been helping Justin out a lot, mentoring him and offering him guidance," said Angie Simpson, the mother of one of Justin's other openers, Cody Simpson. "He’s someone who is used to this level of scrutiny and [his presence] has helped. Justin is an adult and has a very strong, loyal and professional team around him, but it is hard for anyone to come under such pressure."
Ms. Simpson isn't the only one with empathy for the Biebs' growing pains. Earlier this week, Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett wrote a pretty scathing manifesto criticizing the media and the public in general for their treatment of young stars.
Added a source of the Biebs' recent troubles, “You have to look at the people he is hanging out with. They are very distinct from the group of professionals around him, like his manager, who do a terrific job guiding his career and caring for him. Justin’s issues really started when he started hanging out with this undesirable crowd.”
Card-carrying members of said crowd likely include pot smoking car crashers like Lil Za and Lil Twist.