# Will Smith With a Camera

Will Smith With a Camera, also known as Will Smith in a Cab, is a reaction image pulled from the 1990 opening credits of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where Will peeks out of a taxi window clutching a camera. It bounced around Twitter and Facebook starting in 2014 before exploding on Reddit and Tumblr in 2016, eventually becoming the go-to reaction for spotting something you called or predicted.

## Origin
The source frame comes from "The Fresh Prince Project," the pilot episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired on NBC on September 10th, 1990[3]. During the show's now-famous rap intro, Will rides a taxi from West Philadelphia to Bel-Air and leans out the cab window holding a camera as he takes in the neighborhood[4].

The earliest documented meme use of the still was a tweet posted by Twitter user @_fkcn__ on July 30th, 2014, though it is unconfirmed whether they created the edit[2]. A near-identical version from user @cameerroonnn followed on August 6th, 2014[2]. The actual original author of the reaction edit is not known.

- **Platform:** Twitter (early use) / Reddit / Tumblr (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2014

## Overview
Will Smith With a Camera, also called Will Smith in a Cab, is a still from the opening sequence of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air showing a wide-eyed Will Smith leaning out of a yellow taxi window with a small camera in his hand[1]. The joke format pairs the image with text describing a moment of smug or giddy vindication, usually a two-line setup where the poster calls their shot and then watches it land[2].

The reaction is used the same way as Futurama's Bender's Neat image, parked at the end of a tweet or screenshot to signal "I knew it" energy[2]. Common captions involve catching a friend doing something predictable, spotting a plot twist coming, or showing up to a situation already prepared for the chaos. The grainy early-'90s TV frame and Will's unguarded excitement are what sell the format[1].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Will Smith With a Camera?
It is a reaction image from the intro of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, showing Will Smith looking out of a taxi window with a camera in hand[1][2].

### Where did Will Smith With a Camera come from?
The frame is from the show's pilot "The Fresh Prince Project," which aired on NBC on September 10th, 1990[3][4].

### What does Will Smith With a Camera mean?
It is used to react to something a person predicted or expected, carrying an "I called it" or smug vindication tone[1][2].

### How do you use Will Smith With a Camera?
Post the still at the end of a tweet, screenshot, or caption describing a moment you saw coming, similar to how Bender's Neat is used[2].

### Is Will Smith With a Camera still popular?
After going viral on Reddit and Tumblr in 2016 and getting a second wind on /r/dankmemes in 2018, it settled into a classic reaction image staple[2].

## References
1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBe0VCso0qs](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBe0VCso0qs>)
2. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/will-smith-with-a-camera](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/will-smith-with-a-camera>)
3. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/will-smith-with-a-camera
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