{"id":421847,"date":"2026-01-22T00:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T00:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/421847\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T00:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T00:44:08","slug":"will-smith-had-a-near-death-experience-while-scuba-diving-for-his-new-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/421847\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Smith had a near death experience while scuba diving for his new show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will Smith had a terrifying experience that nearly left him for dead while filming his new travel show, \u201cPole to Pole With Will Smith\u201d on Disney+.<\/p>\n

\"LOS<\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 30: Will Smith attends Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” Los Angeles premiere at Regency Village Theatre on November 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

During an appearance on \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,\u201d Smith explained that he and the crew were scuba diving at the North Pole and were under thick ice when things started to go wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you go under the ice, and the ice can be up to 10 feet thick. So we\u2019re under, we went out about 40 yards away It\u2019s like an upside-down ice mountain range, right?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cWe went under, and I start hearing, \u2018Abort dive! Abort dive! Abort!\u2019 And I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh no,\u2019 right? So I went to ascend and hit ice. I was like, \u2018Oh no, Will, calm down. Calm down.\u2019 You have a tether on, and you have to pull yourself back to the hole, right? I grabbed and accidentally pulled my mask off.\u201d<\/p>\n

He joked that after he got his mask on and calmed himself down, he thought, \u201c\u2018If I get out of here, I\u2019m only gonna do Black stuff from here on out.\u2019 I promise Lord! African American behavior from here on out!\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully another member of the team also helped pull him out by his tether and he and a sort of \u201cspiritual\u201d moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I realized I was good, I just relaxed and I looked around and when I tell you, the sun is coming through the ice and it went from terror to the most spiritual, beautiful thing,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I was just like, \u2018Whoever\u2019s up there, don\u2019t let go of my tether!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cIndependence Day\u201d star also hunted for anaconda in the Amazon with an indigenous tribe on a \u201cconservation\u201d mission.<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,<\/p>\n

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 12: Will Smith attends the “Pole To Pole With Will Smith” London Premiere at the Natural History Museum on January 12, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

He recalled the guides, who he noted were naked and \u201cdidn\u2019t even have no clothes on, their whole name and address was hanging out,\u201d spotted an anaconda in the water and jumped out of the boat to collect it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had a sense that there was some kind of illegal dumping going on, and the scales of the anaconda, they hold whatever\u2019s in the water,\u201d he said. \u201cSo they would take a scale from the anaconda and test it to be able to use it in court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith joked, \u201cI don\u2019t know why they needed me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow us on Instagram @tnndentertainment<\/a> for all your pop culture obsessions.<\/p>\n