Jaden Smith’s reaction to onlooker’s ‘you look retarded’ comment outside Grammy venue goes viral

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jaden Smith knows how to handle criticism - even the harsher ones. 

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s son, Jaden has been in the spotlight ever since he walked the 67th Grammy Awards red carpet in a black ensemble complete with a statement black castle headpiece. 

But the 26-year-old musician, whose castle-inspired headpiece has been receiving criticism since he debuted the look - proved that he is not the one to be cowered down.

Jaden Smith’s reaction to criticism revealed

Recently, a video went viral on social media, posted by rapper J French on Instagram, where French called Jaden Smith “retarded” to his face as the ‘Life in a Year’ actor passed him surrounded by security. 

As Jaden passes him, French says, "Jaden, Jaden, you look retarded bro,” as reported by Yard Barker. 

Despite the outright criticism, Jaden looked unfazed, as he showed a thumbs up to French and said “Oh, thank you.”

Sharing the video on Instagram, French even captioned, "My bad @c.syresmith , that was love. Nobody around you told you so I had to."

Soon the video went viral and gained more than 1.2 million likes on Instagram. It also garnered more than 10.5 million views on X. 

For his Grammy look, ‘The Karate Kid’ star opted for a black Louis Vuitton fitted suit, with inflated sleeves, and matching shoes. However, it was his castle headpiece that garnered quite significant attention because of its unconventional design. 

The black castle-like structure comprised all the elements of a Gothic building including towers, turrets, and windows. A cut-out was left open for Jaden to fit his face. 

Though Jaden didn’t directly address the controversy surrounding his distinctive look, he appeared to have reflected overall on his look as he penned a poignant post on his Instagram. 

The actor wrote on his Instagram, sharing a carousel of his and his sister Willow Smith's looks, writing, "“Fountain” The Avant-garde Cannot And Will Not Die As Long As I’m Alive |||."

The headgear has been created by ABODI Transylvania in collaboration with artist Szilveszter Mako. 

The designer house shared an insight about the artistic philosophy behind the unorthodox look, by taking to their Instagram. 

They wrote, “We are more than thrilled to see our ABODI Vampire Castle on the Grammy red carpet slayed by the only and one Jaden Smith.”

They noted, “The whole process of creating the headpiece was a fantastic experience, from sketching to testing and realisation.”

“Jaden Smith wore ABODI’s iconic “Vampire Castle” headpiece, custom made for his LV suit, on the red carpet of Grammy Awards @recordingacademy,” continued the Instagram post, before noting, “The artistic headpiece combines the mysterious elegance of ABODI Transylvania with a bold, modern design inspired by Transylvanian history and the vampire legends of the Bathori.”

Internet says 'somebody told the truth'

Social media users did not let the opportunity slide as they reflected on the exchange and declared that J French only "said what everyone on X said."

One of the social media users said, "At least we know he heard someone telling him the truth."

Someone else added, "At least the castle had its side windows opened, cuz he heard clearly from far 😂."

"This man speaks for America," declared another.

Someone else noted, "Somebody told the truth to these people."

Another user noted, "He said what everyone on X said, but in person 💀🤣."

"To his credit, he gave a thumbs up, so he know he looks ridiculous. It's all about getting attention and the castle on his head worked. He got lots of attention for it," chimed in someone.

Nevertheless, another fan commented on Jaden's reaction, saying, "Damn he said thank you bro it’s a movie."

"I mean he handled it well 🤣," praised another. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.