Will Smith Gets Emotional in Instagram Tribute to His Eldest Son, Inspires Us to Get Vulnerable

Will Smith is never one to shy away from emotion, or share it in public, as he did in a recent Instagram post in tribute to his eldest son Trey, who he has had an admittedly rocky relationship with.

Willard Carroll “Trey” Smith III is the product of a short-lived marriage before Will married Jada, and now 26-year-old Trey went on to persue, like his dad, a career in the music industry.

In a video posted on Instagram, Smith explained that he and Trey had been spending quality time together in Abu Dhabi when his son made a sweet revelation.

“So I’m in Abu Dhabi at the F1. I brought my son Trey,” Smith says.

"We been hanging and usually I take my kids separately on stuff just so they have their individual daddy time. So we been doing this, me and him, we hanging at the F1, and he just hit me with, ‘You know what dad? I just realized you’re not just my dad.’ He paused and he said, ‘I’m pretty sure you’re my best friend.’”

In the caption for the video, Smith shared that the breakdown of his first marriage had had an impact on their son. “It has not always been like this between Trey and I,” the actor writes. “We STRUGGLED FOR YEARS after my divorce from his mother. He felt betrayed and abandoned.

“It is a wild blessing to recover and restore a loving relationship with my beautiful son!”

Trey also shared the video on Instagram, writing: “Awwwww shucks, you too big guy.”

The exchange has gotten a lot of social media response.

"Beautiful. A lot of young men can't say that. Love... that's it," one person tweeted.

"When you hear your son say his father is his best friend that lets you know he's thankful for his dad," another person wrote on Instagram.

Anyone else need a tissue? If you love someone, don't be afraid to show it and tell them. Being vulnerable with people you care about is the best way to grow your bond and show how much you love and trust the person.