Will Smith’s Surprising Childhood Job Reveals His Roots Far From Hollywood

So, Will Smith’s long, weird trip from Philly to Hollywood just got another chapter, and this one involves the unexpected world of selling ice, a Ukrainian YouTuber with a ladder gimmick, and, of course, a little bit of stealth promotion for Smith’s new survival show.

The Max Klymenko Setup: Guess Will Smith’s Teenage Job

Here’s what happened: Will Smith popped up on Max Klymenko’s YouTube series, 'Career Ladder.' The premise is basically two people climb up a ladder and chat while the host tries to guess the guest’s past jobs. Kind of a silly format, but not lacking in novelty.

Since everyone on the planet already knows Will Smith’s main gig, Klymenko tried to guess what Smith did before the music and movies. Smith volunteered a few hints:

• Started working at age 12, kept at it until 18.
• Definitely legal work – maybe not strictly legal for someone that young, but not criminal.
• 'Something to do with the food industry,' but not as a chef or cook. Also 'not exactly food' – more like food-adjacent.
• He dealt with people as part of the job and didn’t have to leave the country for it.

Props to Klymenko – after circling 'food,' 'drinks,' and 'water,' he finally nailed it: young Will Smith was that neighborhood kid selling ice from a van. Not glamorous, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Why Was Will on This Random YouTuber’s Ladder?

No big shock here: Smith was doing a little promo for his new show, 'Pole to Pole with Will Smith.' Max brought it up during the chat, trying to make some kind of connection between the ice gig and the survival skills Smith supposedly picked up for the show. Smith shut that down pretty quick: 'Not really.' At least he’s honest.

What’s 'Pole to Pole?' If you missed the blitz: it’s a National Geographic adventure docuseries with Smith tromping across deserts, jungles, and both ends of the planet. The first episode starts out in Antarctica, with polar pro Richard Parks guiding Smith through the kind of brutal conditions you only sign up for if your real job is 'being on camera in weird places.'

'I don’t quit a lot. I generally don’t give up. But in Antarctica, you have that moment where you’re like, "Oh, Mother Nature is actually in charge"'

(That’s from the first episode, if you were curious. Reading between the lines: this show chewed him up a bit.)

The series took five years (yep, five!) to put together and runs for seven episodes. Release schedule is… kind of a maze: first two episodes dropped on National Geographic January 13, 2026, episodes three and four come January 20, five and six follow on January 27, and the finale goes out February 3. And yes, everything’s streaming on Disney+ and Hulu too.

Remember When Smith Was Broke?

For anyone who thinks every A-lister’s always been rich: not so fast. After his early rap career blew up with DJ Jazzy Jeff ('Parents Just Don’t Understand,' 1988—classic), Smith managed to blow through his cash at the speed of light. He says he 'was in trouble with Uncle Sam' (IRS, not Phil), buying cars, bikes, clothes… the usual story. And then his next album flopped hard.

In his own words: 'It was a tragedy. It went, like, double-plastic.' And the IRS was not messing around—they seized a bunch of his stuff, leaving him in that special circle of hell: famous, broke, and still riding the bus.

'Being famous and broke is a sh*tty combination because you’re still famous and people recognize you, but they recognize you while you’re sitting next to them on the bus.'

That was before 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' came calling. Smith met Benny Medina (whose real life inspired the show concept) backstage at Arsenio Hall’s show, then got connected to Quincy Jones, and landed a deal. That’s how he went from broke-but-recognizable to sitcom stardom—and the long run that followed.

Where To See 'Pole to Pole'

If you’re curious about what five years, a ton of climate extremes, and some mild existential dread look like on TV, 'Pole to Pole with Will Smith' is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu.