YouTube / Will Smith
To celebrate his 50th birthday, Will Smith went bungee jumping from a helicopter in the Grand Canyon.
Yes, the star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is 50-years old. Let that sink in for a moment and try not to feel old. And if you do start feeling old then remember that this man just jumped out of a f*cking helicopter in the Grand Canyon to prove that he isn’t old at all.
Will Smith’s presence on YouTube and Instagram has exploded over the past year so it was only natural that he’d film this stunt for his YouTube channel. This began a few months back when some other YouTubers by the name of ‘Yes Theory’ challenged him to grab the bull by the horns and jump out of a helicopter because his biggest fear was heights.
Will Smith accepted the challenge approximately 7 months ago but he’s a busy man. He’s an A-List movie star and one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world. So it took a while to plan out the logistics of this jump and get it set up.
Flash forward to yesterday, Will Smith’s 50th birthday on September 25th, and he finally took the plunge out of a helicopter and into the Grand Canyon. After jumping, Will seemed overwhelmed by the beauty of the Grand Canyon as he hung by a bungee cable from the helicopter hovering over the national landmark.
He said he went from ‘from pure terror to absolute bliss’ in an instant and that might’ve been the adrenaline talking but I imagine this was one of the most surreal moments of Will Smith’s life.
Here’s the full video from his YouTube channel. It starts with him in the helicopter where he’s visibly shaken and nervous about what’s coming. The jump itself comes around the 4:40 mark of the video if you want to skip to that but I highly suggest watching the whole thing and letting the suspense build.
This video has already done nearly FIVE MILLION views in under 24 hours. That’s how many people have locked into a screen and watched Will Smith bungee jump from a helicopter into the Grand Canyon. That is truly amazing.
Years ago, this would’ve been an Evel Knievel stunt that would’ve been shown in primetime television but now it’s straight to YouTube where it can be viewed by millions. Also, Will Smith released a second video where he reacted to the footage of himself jumping from the helicopter and it’s fun to see himself reacting to his total freakout beforehand.
I want to send out a heartfelt happy belated birthday to Will Smith! 50-years-young.