It can be argued that Will Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and their two children -- son Jaden and daughter Willow -- are the one of the most powerful families in show business. Now behold, proof of their supremacy: Will and Jada will be featured guests on the last episode of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' according to 'The Daily.' Not even President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama can boast such a claim. Instead, the First Couple had to settle for a regular slot as guests on her show last week.
Since Oprah announced in November 2009 that this would be her final season, fans have speculated about who would sit beside the talk show queen in her last episode. Would it be Winfrey's longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham? Would it be Dr. Phil, the dorky pop therapist who became famous off the strength of Winfrey's co-sign (as so many others did)? Would it be a guest who never appeared on the show before? Does such a person even exist?
It hasn't been confirmed if the Smiths will be the only guests, or whether Jaden or Willow are also invited. (Although that would seem like a missed opportunity for the family that brands together.) Still, it's clear that Winfrey has a soft spot for Will. Long before his first appearance on her show in 1999, she made a guest appearance as herself on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'
And last year, Smith returned the favor, bringing his entire brood on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' including Trey, his eldest son from a previous marriage. (Perhaps he does not aspire to be famous, or has plans to make his own mark without the aid of nepotism.) On that episode, Will and Jada explained how they stay on top of the family business. "I tell them all the time: 'Mommy and Daddy are rich. You all are broke," he told Winfrey. "We don't allow them to just sit around. We talk about the concept of the group and the necessity of you adding to the family. Then you have to add to your neighborhood, and then you have to add to humanity."
In the 25 years of doing her show, Winfrey has created an empire built on the ideals of spiritual upliftment, self-improvement and inspirational messages to the point where she has arguably gone from a household name to a household belief system that asserts: "YOU CAN DO IT!!"
Fittingly, Smith has echoed a similar message throughout his career. During an appearance on 'Oprah' in 2006, when he was promoting 'The Pursuit of Happyness,' a film based on the true rags-to-riches story of Christopher Gardner, Smith said, "The promise of America is such a great idea, because this is the only country in the world that Chris Gardner could exist."
And it's pretty clear that America has done right by Smith and Winfrey too.