Will Smith made his official return to a major awards show since the 2022 Oscars.
The four-time Grammy winner and actor took the stage during the 2025 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 2. Smith was on hand to present the tribute that celebrated the life and legacy of the late Quincy Jones, a 28-time Grammy winner.
โThis past year, we lost one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our time, Quincy Jones,โ Smith began, alongside Herbie Hancock on the piano. โKnown to friends around the world, simply as Q.โ
โA brilliant 28-time Grammy Award winning producer, arranger, film and television composer, conductor, trumpet player, recording artist and humanitarian,โ the actor continued. โIn his 91 years, Q touched countless lives.โ
โI have to say, he changed mine, forever,โ Smith said, adding, โYou probably wouldnโt know who Will Smith was if it wasnโt for Quincy Jones.โ
Smith continued by praising the late Jones for dabbling in multiple genres, including jazz, and โbringing the best out in legends from Brother Ray Charles to Ella Fitzgerald Count Basie to Aretha Franklin.โ
He also touched on Jonesโ relationship with Frank Sinatra and how their musical partnership โopened doors and took both men to new heights.โ
Smith’s introduction to Jones’ special tribute included performances by Cynthia Erivo ,who performed โFly Me To The Moon,โ followed by Lainey Wilson singing โLet The Good Times Rollโ with Jacob Collier.
It also included Stevie Wonder, who performed โBluesetteโ and โWe Are The World,โ and student singers from two schools that were lost in the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Smith returned to the stage and shared a story about his relationship with Jones.
“Quincy Jones was a mentor, friend and father figure,” Smith said, sharing how, as an executive producer of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Jones gave him a “shot” at the age of 22.
He recalled having a hard time on set and Jones giving him a speech about the quality of food that was on the set. “‘You want these people to work 16 or 18 hours a day so you realize your dreams, and this is the food you think they should eat?’, he said, ‘I don’t care if it’s not in a budget. You pay for it out of your own pocket.'”
From there, Smith said that Jones’ following words reframed his whole career: “It is your job to take care of these people.”
“And I’ve done everything I can through my career to try to live up to Quincy’s demand,” he said, before concluding, “Quincy Jones always took care of people, and that’s how he fed the world. Quincy taught us all that life is a feast, and you don’t stop till you get enough.”
Janelle Monรกe closed out the epic tribute by singing, โDonโt Stop Till You Get Enough.โ
Jones, who worked with legends like Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, died Nov. 3, 2024 at the age of 91. Smith has previously credited the producer and artist for encouraging his acting career and landing him the leading role in โThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.โ
In a tribute after Jonesโ death, Smith called him โthe true definition of a Mentor, a Father and a Friend.โ
โHe pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to,โ Smith wrote on Instagram. โHe let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.โ
Hosted by Trevor Noah for the fifth year in a row, the 2025 Grammys are raising funds to support wildfire relief efforts and help music professionals impacted by theย wildfires in Los Angeles.
This marks Smithโs first appearance at a major awards ceremony since he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. The altercation occurred after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, which Smith did not find funny.
The โKind Richardโ star apologized to Rock, however, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Smith from all Academy events for 10 years.
The Oscar winner recently announced that he will release his first album in 20 years, and dropped the first single, โBeautiful Scars,โ featuring Big Sean.
