MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS AN INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR AND IT
GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO SEE PLEASE WELCOME WILL SMITH!
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
♪ ♪ ♪ >> HEY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LET ME GO KISS THAT LADY.
I'M GOING TO GO KISS THAT LADY.
OH, MAN.
HEY!
OH, MAN!
WOOO!
( CHEERS ) I WAS WATCHING-- I WAS WATCHING
IN THE BACK WHEN-- THE -- >> AT THE TOP OF THE SHOW.
>> WHAT'S YOUR NAME, MISS?
>> DEBBIE.
>> HOW YOU DOING, DEBBIE?
( CHEERS ) >> Stephen: THAT'S ALL WE HAVE
TIME FOR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, WILL.
IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE, ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON.
YOU KNOW-- THAT'S A REAL SUPERSTAR, A GUY WHO CAN TAKE
HIS TIME WITH THE AUDIENCE LIKE THAT.
NOT EVERYBODY CAN DO THAT.
THAT IS A SKILL TO DO THAT.
>> I CUT THAT DOWN.
THAT IS THE SHORT VERSION.
I DIDN'T WANT TO MESS YOUR TIME UP.
>> Stephen: THE FIRST TIME I MET YOU WAS IN 2008.
YOU WERE ON THE OLD SHOW.
>> YUP.
>> Stephen: 3,000 PEOPLE I'VE INTERVIEWED.
YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAME STRAIGHT INTO THE REWRITE ROOM
AND CAME OVER AND SAID, "HI, I'M WILL SMITH.
I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE."
I SAID, "I THINK THIS GUY IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT OF MY SHOW
THAT NIGHT."
OBAMA WAS RUNNING THAT YEAR AND YOU SAID MAYBE YOU SHOULD BE THE
FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT.
>> YEAH, I MISSED IT.
I MISSED IT.
I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT.
BUT I WATCHED OBAMA FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
THAT'S A HARD JOB, MAN.
>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH, IT IS, IT IS, YEAH.
EIGHT YEARS AGO, HE LOOKED LIKE YOU LOOK NOW.
>> YEAH, RIGHT, EXACTLY, EXACTLY.
I WAS LIKE, MAN!
( APPLAUSE ) NO, THAT--
>> Stephen: YOU EVER THINK ABOUT IT?
BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD VOTE FOR YOU?
YOU'D VOTE FOR HIM, WOULDN'T YOU?
>> DEBBIE WOULD FOR SURE.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE TO GET THE DEBBIES.
DOES POLITICS HOLD ANY INTEREST FOR YOU?
>> YOU KNOW, I DEFINITELY HAVE HAD THE ITCHING, YOU KNOW.
I'VE HAD-- YOU KNOW, I HAVE LOTS OF VIEWS AND IDEAS AND SOMETIMES
I HEAR PEOPLE SAY THINGS ON TELEVISION, AND I JUST WANT TO
RUN AGAINST THEM.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: RUN STRAIGHT AT THEM?
>> JUST STRAIGHT AT THEM AND KNOCK THEM OVER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S-- IT'S SOMETHING-- I THINK IT'S NOT
WHERE MY GREATEST GIFTS ARE, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: LIKE POLITICS AND ACTING, IT'S A FINE LINE.
>> YEAH, IT REALLY IS.
IT REALLY IS.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HOLD THE AUDIENCE'S
ATTENTION.
>> AND THERE ARE GOOD ACTORS AND BAD ACTORS IN THE SAME WAY.
I'VE DEFINITELY THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
MY WIFE HAS SAID ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, "HELL NO."
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: IS THAT A DIRECT
QUOTE?
>> YES, IT'S A DIRECT QUOTE.
>> Stephen: LET ME WRITE THAT DOWN, "HELL MOW."
>> I'M NOT SURE WHAT SHE MEANS.
>> Stephen: YOU WOULD DO A GREAT JOB PLAYING THE ROLE OF
BARACK OBAMA.
>> THAT MIGHT BE GOOD.
THAT MIGHT BE GOOD.
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE-- HAVE YOU WORKED ON YOUR OBAMA?
BECAUSE YOU GUYS BOTH HAVE SWAGGER?
>> YEAH, SWAGGER.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT A COUPLE OF TIMES.
>> Stephen: YOU AND OBAMA HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT?
>> WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT.
>> Stephen: HOLD ON.
>> YEAH, ME AND "B" WAS TALKING ABOUT IT THE OTHER DAY.
>> Stephen: LIKE YOU DO.
>> YOU KNOW, WE WAS JUST CHATTING.
BUT WE TALKED ABOUT-- WE TALKED ABOUT IT A COUPLE OF TIMES.
HE SAID THE ONE THING WHAT IS FOR SURE, I HAVE THE EARS TO
PLAY HIM.
YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S TRUE.
I THINK THAT IS -- >> THE THE MAN DOES NOT NEED THE
N.S.A.
HE CAN HEAR WHAT EVERYBODY IS SAYING ALL THE THE TIME.
( LAUGHTER ) AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF THE BARACK
OBAMA PRESIDENCY, THERE WAS ALL THIS SORT OF HOPE THAT WE WERE
IN A SORT OF-- OR TALK AT LEAST WE WERE MOVING INTO A
POST-RACIAL SOCIETY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF RACE RELATIONS, GIVEN THE THE TENSION
NOW IN THE UNITED STATES AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF THE OBAMA
PRESIDENCY?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING.
I ALWAYS LOOK AT THESE THINGS IN TERMS OF A MARRIAGE, YOU KNOW.
SO I-- I'VE DONE MY 10,000 HOURS OF MARRIAGE COUNSELING, RIGHT.
SO, YOU KNOW, JADA AND I HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD TO DEVELOP A
SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP.
SO I ALWAYS LOOK AT THINGS IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIPS.
SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT RACE RELATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY NOW,
THERE'S A THING THAT HAPPENS BEFORE THINGS ARE CLEANED UP.
THERE'S A DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN THAT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT,
YOU KNOW ( APPLAUSE )
THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: SO NOW-- >> SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I HEAR
PEOPLE-- WHEN I HEAR PEOPLE SAY, "IT'S WORSE THAN IT'S EVER BEEN,
"I DISAGREE COMPLETELY.
IT'S CLEARLY NOT WORSE THAN IT WAS IN THE 60s, YOU KNOW.
AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT AS BAD AS IT WAS IN THE 1860s.
( LAUGHTER ) RIGHT?
YOU KNOW.
SO -- >> SORT OF LIKE A DOCTOR HAS TO
GO OPEN THE ABSCESS TO DRAIN THE WOUND.
YOU'VE GOT TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON?
>> WE ARE TALKING ABOUT RACE IN THIS COUNTRY MORE CLEARLY AND
OPENLY THAN WE HAVE ALMOST EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY.
IT'S ON THE THE TABLE.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE WE HAVE A HISTORY OF SORT OF IGNORING
PROBLEMS UNTIL YOU CAN'T ANYMORE.
>> YEAH, I THINK RACISM IS NOT GETTING WORSE.
IT'S GETTING FILMED, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW.
SO I THINK-- I THINK THAT -- >> THE REVOLUTION MAY NOT BE
TELEVISED BUT IT'S BEING TWEETED.
>> IT'S BEING TWEETED FOR SURE.
I REALLY THINK THIS DARKNESS, AS BAD AS IT IS AND AS DIFFICULT AS
IT IS, THE PROBLEMS ARE ON THE THE TABLE, YOU KNOW.
SO I-- I VIEW THAT IN SAME WAY AS JADA AND I HAD TO WORK
THROUGH THINGS IN OUR MARRIAGE.
WHEN THE TRUTH COMES OUT, WHEN IT GETS ON THE TABLE AND YOU
HAVE TO CONFRONT WHAT'S REAL, IT SUCKS.
>> Stephen: SOMETIMES ONE OF THE TWO PEOPLE SAYS, "OH, HELL
NO."
>> IS OH, HELL NO.
OH, HELL NO.
IF YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING THAT IN THIS RELATIONSHIP,
YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING.
YOU KNOW.
NO BUT I DO VIEW IT AS A DIFFICULT TIME, BUT I THINK-- I
THINK IT'S-- THE THE PROBLEM'S ON THE TABLE.
AND I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY MORE THAN EVER FOR A
LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE, YOU
KNOW,.
>> Stephen: THAT IS A VERY HOPEFUL WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I'M HOPEFUL ABOUT.
I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, AND THIS IS
SINCERE, IS "SUICIDE SQUAD."
I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
( APPLAUSE ) I HAVE RARELY BEEN AS EXCITED
FOR A SUMMERTIME MOVIE THAN THIS ONE.
YOU PLAY DEADSHOT.
>> DEADSHOT, YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE AN ASSASSIN.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOU ALSO HAVE SOMETHING OF A HEART.
>> AN ASSASSIN WITH A HEART.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: AND I THINK WE HAVE A CLIP RIGHT HERE.
JIMMY.
>> HEY, ANGELO, THIS IS THE EXTERMINATOR YOU CALLED FOR YOUR
RAT PROBLEM.
MY ACCOUNT'S LOOKING A LITTLE THIN.
>> NO ONE GETS PAID UNTIL WHAT NEEDS TO GET DONE GETS DONE.
>> NOPE, THAT'S NOT THE RULES.
NO MONEY, NO HONEY.
THEY'RE TAKING HIM OUT OF THE CAR NOW.
IN ABOUT 30 SECONDS YOUR WINDOW'S GOING TO CLOSE FOREVER.
>> OKAY, RELAX.
THERE WAS AN ACCOUNTING ERROR.
WE SENT IT.
>> DOUBLE IT.
YOU'VE GOT 10 SECONDS.
>> WE'RE NOT THE KIND OF PEOPLE YOU PLAY WITH.
>> DID YOU THREATEN ME?
THIS DUDE IS ABOUT TO GET A SORE THROAT FROM ALL OF THE SINGING
HE'S ABOUT TO DO.
>> YOU SON OF A-- >> PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS WITH
YOU, ANGY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I CAN'T WAIT.
WE'VE GOT TO TAKE A LITTLE BREAK HERE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE WILL SMITH.