Will Smith has spent much of his career reinventing himself, particularly in the years following the Oscar slap controversy and the ongoing public scrutiny surrounding his personal life. But according to Tyrese Gibson, one of the most impactful lessons he ever received from the Academy Award-winning actor had nothing to do with acting or Hollywood strategy. Instead, it was deeply personal.
During his recent appearance on the NXT Chapter Podcast, the Transformers star reflected on advice he once received from Will Smith that fundamentally changed how he viewed both his life and his career. Gibson explained that the Fresh Prince performer framed success and stagnation as direct reflections of the people you keep closest to you. As the R&B singer-turned-actor recalled, Smith put it this way:
Will Smith said, ‘You can often tell how far your life and career will go based on the five people you spend the most time with. So if you have a problem with your life, you should have a problem with the five people you have surrounded your life with. If you’re out of shape, you likely reflect the group of people that allowed for you to look that bad. What you’re doing, what you’re not doing, the direction you’re going in, what direction you’re not going in, is a reflection of the five people you spend the most time with.
That's pretty solid advice, and as NXT Chapter host T.D. Jakes pointed out, it's probably worth “writing down.” It’s advice that’s clearly stuck with Gibson, as he didn’t present it as a throwaway motivational quote, but as a hard truth that forced him to take inventory of his surroundings.
For Smith, this philosophy aligns with how he’s navigated decades in Hollywood. He went from a hip-hop artist to a sitcom star, and finally to an award-winning dramatic actor. He’s famously been intentional about mentorship, collaboration and protecting his mindset.
The Independence Day star's advice hits a little differently when you look at where Gibson is in his personal life. Just a couple of months ago, he was back in the headlines after police in Atlanta issued an arrest warrant tied to the death of a neighbor’s dog, with the incident involving Gibson’s four cane corsos. The action-movie regular has said he wasn’t home when it happened and has denied any wrongdoing, but the situation still put him under an unwanted spotlight yet again.
Over the years, Tyrese Gibson has been open about his emotional outbursts, legal issues, and personal life, which have often played out in public. That includes past child support disputes that led to an arrest in 2024. More recently, Gibson has also spoken about his mental health, describing it as “fragile,” and pointing to the strain of his divorce and ongoing financial stress as significant factors in said fragility.
When you view all of that through the lens of Will Smith’s advice, it’s not just about bad headlines piling up, but the environment around them. If the people closest to you aren’t helping you stay grounded, problems can arise, and for Hollywood A-listers, those problems tend to surface in very public ways. The “Sweet Lady” performer has reinvented his career more than once, so bouncing back isn’t new territory for him. But staying on solid footing in Hollywood often means cutting down on distractions as much as chasing the next big role.
With the 2026 movie slate starting to come into focus, there’s reason to hope Tyrese Gibson can settle into a steadier rhythm and keep the right people around him. He’s currently lined up to return to the big screen with Oscar Shaw in 2026, along with the still-in-production sequel to Fast X, giving the longtime franchise mainstay a clear path back into familiar territory.
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