Will Smith Bungee Jumps Out of Helicopter Into The Grand Canyon

As Smith himself admitted during the event that streamed live on YouTube and Omaze.com, he’s always been scared to walk on the edge of The Grand Canyon. Getting to jump out of a helicopter into it never crossed his mind until recently, when he was dared to do it.

The stunt wasn’t only to celebrate his 50th birthday but also a means to raise awareness and money for Global Citizen, the organization that fights to combat global hunger and poverty. The money raised will go to various education programs.

The event was hosted by Smith’s friend and former “Fresh Prince” co-star Alfonso Ribeiro, and the actor’s family was by his side, as were many of his celebrity friends. Smith and Jada and the kids looked nervous ahead of the jump, and seeing how Smith is afraid of heights, they had good reason to feel this way.

“I’ve had an interesting relationship with fear my whole life. [When I was younger, my family and I], we drove to the Grand Canyon and I remember having a deeply meaningful experience of how beautiful it was but I was terrified of walking to the edge. All my family walked up to the edge but I stayed back, too scared to take in the beauty. I’ve made it a point in my life to attack anything that I’m scared of,” the actor said ahead of the jump.

“I hate being scared,” Smith added. “When the guys at Yes Theory challenged me [to bungee jump] I said, ‘Damn it,’ because I hate being scared.”

In the end, it was a good thing that he managed to overcome his fear and not just because he raised money for a good cause. As you can see in the video at the bottom of the page, Will described the feeling after the jump as “pure bliss.” He also observed that it was almost like he had to be “terrified” in order to be able to experience this kind of beauty.