Will Smith marks eldest son Trey's birthday with sweet post about their 'transformative' relationship

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Will Smith is celebrating a major milestone for one of his favorite people on Earth—his eldest son Trey Smith.

The 'King Richard' actor took to social media on November 11 to mark Trey’s 32nd birthday with a touching tribute.

Will Smith wishes son Trey on his 32nd birthday

Will Smith, 56, posted a sweet slideshow of photos that captured the evolution of their relationship. The first snapshot was a nostalgic throwback of a young Trey beaming on his father's lap. The other two photos showed the pair hanging out in more recent times.

Will poured his heart out in the caption. “Happy Birthday, T-Ball!” he began, using his nickname for Trey. “Our relationship has been a transformative journey of love,” he continued, adding, “You are one of the finest Teachers I’ve ever had.” Will wrapped up the post by declaring, “I love being your Daddy!”

Naturally, fans and friends flocked to the comments section of the post to wish Trey a happy birthday, including Will’s longtime friend and 'Bad Boys' co-star Martin Lawrence. “Happy Birthday much love 🙏🏾,” Lawrence wrote.

Will Smith's relationship with son Trey

While Will and Trey’s relationship looks picture-perfect today, it wasn’t always this way. Back in the early days of Will’s career, he married his first wife Sheree Zampino and they welcomed Trey into the world shortly after.

Will has always been open about how becoming a father changed him. During a 2020 appearance on 'Red Table Talk', he recalled the overwhelming emotions he felt when he brought Trey home for the first time.

“I brought him home, we put him in the bassinet. ... It was like stark terror,” Will admitted. “I’m totally responsible for this life, and I couldn’t stop going and checking. ... I just cried so hard. It makes me teary right now,” he confessed.

He added, “I just knew I didn’t know nothing. ... It hit me how fragile parenting is. Just at that moment, I could see all the spectacular lessons my father had instilled in me, and I was like, there’s no way. I’m not that good.”

Despite the instant connection Will felt with his son, things took a turn when he and Sheree divorced just two years later. Will said the pain of that breakup was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

“I’ve been hurt a lot in my adult life, but I don’t think anything touches the failure of getting divorced from my 2-year-old son’s mother,” he shared on another episode of 'Red Table Talk'.

Strained years and a father’s guilt

After the divorce, Will struggled to maintain a relationship with Trey. He admits that his desire to shield Trey from the turmoil between him and Sheree led him to distance himself.

“In the first couple years of Trey’s life, because Sheree and I were divorced, I think my desire to never have my son see me in that way made me more absent as a father,” he explained.

Will’s decision to keep his distance was fueled by a deep-seated fear of exposing Trey to conflict. “I wanted to create enough distance. We not gonna be cursing, we not gonna be fighting,” he said.

At the time, Will believed he was doing what was best for his son by “surrendering” the relationship, hoping Trey would reach out to him when he was ready. He recounted a piece of advice his own father had given him.

“[My dad] said, ‘When he’s 13, he’s gonna come look for you.’ And then I just kind of backed up a little bit and it was like, if Trey wants to come over, he can come over but I’m not going to force you to do anything, especially if your mother wants something different,” Will said. “And that was a really difficult time.”

A reunion and a renewed bond

Years passed with this strained dynamic, but Trey came looking for his father eventually — just as Will’s father had predicted. As Will described it, “As soon as Trey was ready, he came looking for his father.”

It was a pivotal moment that marked the start of their reconciliation and a fresh chapter in their relationship.

These days, Will and Trey are inseparable and consider themselves best friends. In a 2019 Father’s Day tribute on Instagram, Trey expressed gratitude for having Will as his dad.

“Every time I post a picture of you, a few people will put themselves up for adoption regardless of their age, wish you were their dad, or my personal favorite, call you a national treasure, and ask that we protect you at all cost,” Trey wrote. “I agree with ALL of their sentiments.”

After marrying Jada Pinkett Smith, Will welcomed two more children Jaden Smith and Willow Smith. Trey affectionately calls Jada his “bonus mom,” and they’ve been spotted together at countless family events over the years.

It's worth noting that Trey has dabbled in both acting and music, following in his famous dad’s footsteps. He even made a cameo appearance at just 5 years old in Will’s music video for 'Just the Two of Us' — a song dedicated to father-son relationships.

Will has never missed a chance to celebrate “T-Ball” on social media. One particularly memorable post came in 2020 when the duo recreated an old photo of Trey standing on a chair next to his dad. “One of my favorite people on Earth,” Will captioned the post at the time.