He also co-starred in the remake films The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), along with Keanu Reeves, and The Karate Kid (2010), with Jackie Chan.

[7] As a recording artist, Smith first guest performed on Canadian singer Justin Bieber's 2010 single, "Never Say Never".

Released for The Karate Kid's accompanying soundtrack,[8] the song peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Following a three-year work effort, he signed with Roc Nation and Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Syre (2017).

[16] Smith and his siblings were youth ambassadors for Project Zambi, which, in conjunction with Hasbro, helps Zambian children orphaned by AIDS.

He next appeared as Jacob in the 2008 Scott Derrickson science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still,[19] a remake of the 1951 classic of the same name.

[21] In April 2014, Smith was cast in the film The Good Lord Bird, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by James McBride.

Smith plays Henry Shackleford, a young slave living in Kansas Territory in 1857 who encounters abolitionist John Brown.

[27] On June 21, 2018, Crystal Moselle's Skate Kitchen released its first official trailer with Smith as the main character.

[52] Less than a year later, on July 5, 2019, Smith released his second studio album, Erys, and debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200.

[44] On July 30, 2018, Smith was announced as an opener during J. Cole's KOD Tour alongside Young Thug and EarthGang[53] and on August 2, performed for the first time at Lollapalooza.

[57] Following the acquisition, on July 24, 2020, Smith released the single "Cabin Fever", from his third album CTV3: Cool Tape Vol.

On August 27, 2021, Jaden released another version of the album CTV3: Day Tripper's Edition on all streaming platforms.

Smith's influences include Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Kurt Cobain and Tycho.

[77] Jaden Smith's father Will revealed that his son sought an emancipation ruling without his parents' consent, as a present for his 15th birthday.

Will told the media that Jaden's primary motivation was the establishment of his own residence and also explained that his children were not subject to strict parenting: "We generally don't believe in punishment.

"[78] However, Smith and his father appeared together on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on May 15, 2013, where Jaden said: The thing that people don't get is everything at his house is free.

[80] Smith subscribes to, and sends tweets about, numerous conspiracy theories[81] including the Illuminati,[82][83] and chemtrails.

[95] Smith has been called a non-binary icon for his work in popular media challenging traditional gender roles.

[99] For his Vogue Korea editorial in 2016, he wore traditionally female attire: a black skirt, blue nail polish, and a flower in his hair.

[102] In 2023, Smith was the subject of an online death hoax after Facebook posts and YouTube videos claimed that he had died.

Posts on various social media platforms claimed that Will Smith publicly announced the death of his son.