Will Smith is under fire from fans following a steamy onstage performance with Spanish singer India Martínez at the Premio Lo Nuestro award show in Miami on Feb. 20. The duo’s rendition of their duet “First Love” included close embraces and what some viewers perceived as a kiss, sparking widespread criticism on social media amid Smith’s ongoing marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith.
The performance, part of the 37th annual Latin Music Awards, opened with Smith, 55, and Martínez, 39, delivering a blend of rap and flamenco-infused vocals. Backstage photos showed Martínez leaping into Smith’s arms, her legs wrapped around his waist, while onstage, Smith was seen placing a hand on her backside. Though some outlets described the kiss as “staged,” conflicting reports have left fans debating whether it crossed a line.
Smith and Pinkett Smith, married since 1997, have been separated since 2016, a fact Pinkett Smith revealed in 2023. Despite their unconventional arrangement, the public’s perception of Smith as a married man fueled the backlash. “Willard, that’s you?!” one fan posted on X, while another wrote, “He’s still married to Jada, this is inappropriate.”
Others defended the actor and musician, arguing it was artistic expression. “This man is an actor and has kissed plenty of women who aren’t his wife,” a supporter commented online. Some even saw it as “payback” for Pinkett Smith’s 2015 “entanglement” with singer August Alsina, which she discussed publicly in 2020.
The controversy comes as Smith promotes his new album, “Based on a True Story,” with “First Love” released on Valentine’s Day. Martínez, a celebrated Spanish artist, had posted flirty captions on Instagram before the event, calling their collaboration “like two children in their first love.” Neither Will Smith nor singer India Martínez has commented on the uproar.
