Will Smith -- Hitler, Schmitler; He Wasn't That Bad

UPDATE: Will Smith's rep sent TMZ the following statement from him, which reads: "It is an awful and disgusting lie. It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation. Adolph Hitler was a vile, heinous, vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet."

On the day before Christmas, a leading Jewish group is kvetching loudly about Will Smith's recent suggestion that Adolf Hitler wasn't all bad, calling it "ignorant, detestable, and offensive." Oy.

The Jewish Defense League is calling on Barack Obama to repudiate Smith's comments, and wants theaters to pull Smith's new flick "I Am Legend" from their screens. Smith told a Scottish paper that Hitler "didn't wake up going, 'Let me do the most evil thing I can do today.' ... I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good.'" What kind of meshuggeneh talk is that?!

Smith's words, say the JDL, "spit on the memory of every person murdered by the Nazis. His disgusting words stick a knife in the backs of every veteran who fought (and sometimes died) to save the world from the intentions of Adolf Hitler."



Tags: Will Smith, WillSmith

Reader Comments

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16. Yes and southern KKK members in the '50's "did not wake up thinking they would do evil," before burning crosses and hanging blacks from trees...." Right Will? Why don't you try sticking to talking about your (bad) acting.

Posted at 1:43PM on Dec 24th 2007 by duh

17. So now actors cannot even have freedom of speech without the threat of a movie "having nothing to do with the comment" removed from theaters? Dumbest thing I have ever heard of! The comment was not even that bad. He never said Hitler was a good guy. I think he was leading towards the fact that he was disturbed.

Posted at 1:44PM on Dec 24th 2007 by just curious

18. Will Smith isn't all bad... but those comments are not only ignorant but idiotic. What kind of hullabaloo would be going on if a big male actor made a comment about how "The KKK isn't all bad. They are only going what they think is 'good.'"

If Imus got fired for "nappy headed ho's" then following the same logic they should euthanize Will Smith because his comments were not said in jest. I am incredibly offended and doubt I will encourage anyone I know to go to see I Am Legend.

Posted at 1:45PM on Dec 24th 2007 by Kennedy

19. Um, Wow. Just Wow...and I am Legend sucked.

Posted at 2:08PM on Dec 25th 2007 by Wowza

20. Read what he said and don't jump to bad conclusions. He didn't say Hitler wasn't bad or evil. He said that Hitler didn't think he was necessarily doing evil things. Hitler very well may have, and according to many records, did believe he was doing something 'good.' Hitler was the warped one, Will was making a good point about an evil leader not necessarily thinking they were doing evil. Kinda reminds me of Bush. You think he thinks he has done anything wrong??

Posted at 1:45PM on Dec 24th 2007 by whatever

21. Again,we build these celebrities up until they basically think they'r Gods. They're just human beings capable of saying stupid things I'm Jewish...do think Will Smith meant to say Hitler wa a good guy? NO. Everyone needs to calm down.

Posted at 1:45PM on Dec 24th 2007 by Lynne

22. Yeah and the lynching of black men in the south was probably just a good hearted attempt to boost their self esteem.

Posted at 10:16PM on Dec 27th 2007 by Portmanteau

23. Will, I'm Jewish and from Philly. In the 60's, I went to your high school - Overbrook. I've always been proud of you being an Overbrookite. Now, I'm really disappointed. I thought you were a good guy. You have to clarify and apologize. Maybe Mel Gibson can give you some advice on that front. And stop hanging around with Tom Cruise and the scientology cult. They are rotting your brain with garbage.

Posted at 1:46PM on Dec 24th 2007 by Janet

24. Why isn't TMZ covering the Raz B/B2K molestation scandal?

Posted at 1:46PM on Dec 24th 2007 by Bird

25. Dude, that the same me saying, "oh the slave owners were that bad, they did it for the good of the blacks." What's wrong with you? ...Does this have anything to do with your BFF doing a movie about Hitler?

Posted at 2:20PM on Dec 24th 2007 by itsmelaura

26. What's wrong with Will's statement? "...set out to do what HE THOUGHT was 'good.'". I don't see a problem.

Posted at 1:52PM on Dec 24th 2007 by John

27. I agree that what he said was a wrong choice of words. He is a smart person from a respectable family (c'mon he got into MIT!), who said something dumb. Even smart people say dumb things (unless he continues to say such things, in which case, he's becoming old and senile).

Posted at 1:48PM on Dec 24th 2007 by yikes

28. look the guy is an ex rapper bad one too!!!! once youre successful in this lala land people think you know something!!! probably was using a bad analogy,,,his problem he never shut up and wants to be like by everyone!!!! and whats obama have to do with all of this,,,

Posted at 1:48PM on Dec 24th 2007 by RoughDaddy

29. Posted at 1:45PM on Dec 24th 2007 by whatever

You are thinking the same way I am. :)

Posted at 1:48PM on Dec 24th 2007 by just curious

30. Oh, oh. You'd better talk to Mel for an educated heads up about pissing off THIS faction. There is no grey; only black and white views allowed regarding Hitler and Jewish public opinion. Will is trying to clumsily and unsuccessfully get out some kind of thought here, but everyone knows he is a good hearted and well intentioned, albeit foot in mouther here. Lay off him; he's not a well versed history prof making outrageous statements. He must have had a few conversations with Cruise regarding that Hitler movie and is probably thinking a few thoughts about the past and defunct Fuhrer. This also sounds incomplete, and may be taken out of context. Will would never knowingly hurt anyone or any group. He is a positive force.

Posted at 1:48PM on Dec 24th 2007 by Willy Nilly

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