Photo: DFree / Shutterstock
I hope this boy is good enough for the Smith family!
By Kaitlin Kaiser — Written on Jul 28, 2019
Tyler Cole was born on July 7,1998. He was born in Michigan and moved to Los Angeles at a young age. Cole appears to be something of a Renaissance man, seemingly having his hand in different forms of art, film and music. He has recently been in headlines due to his close personal relationship with the Smith family, specifically Will Smith's daughter Willow. The two have been rumored to be dating for a while, and those rumors have finally been confirmed. But I know what you're thinking — who is Tyler Cole?
1. He vacationed with her family
Cole was invited on the Smith's family vacation to Greece. He was photographed on their yacht alongside Willow. Also on the trip were Will, Jada, Jaden and Will's son from a previous marriage, Trey. It was a family affair! You can catch all of their antics on Will's social media accounts. He has been keeping everyone up to date on what the talented family looks like relaxing.
2. He co-produced her new album
Willow Smith just dropped her latest self-titled album on July 19th. The album is called Willow. New Music Express describes the album as "a mellow and melodic blend of psychedelic folk and dreamy R&B built around gentle guitar strums and a few jagged riffs." Jaden makes an appearance on one of the tracks, rapping during the song, "U know". Cole is listed as a co-producer on the abum, and even co-wrote some of the songs with Willow. Seems like these two made more than just a love connection.
3. He is a musician
At 20-years-old he has already released two albums. He released his first album called Stranger in 2016 and more recently he dropped the album We're in Love and the World is Ending. In 2017, he began collaborating with Willow Smith. She co-produced his single "Afraid." Most recently, he dropped the song "Love at First Fight." The music video features Cole and Jaden Smith. In the video Smith seems to be training Cole in a boxing match in which Cole is fighting against himself dressed as a woman. The violence of the video somehow works with and also betrays the jazzy sixties lounge vibe in a really cool, abstract sort of way.
4. He is a movie maker
He recently premiered his documentary titled The Father Complex. The film is described on IMDB as simply: "A young man's journey to find his father." Both Willow and Jaden Smith performed at the films premiere. After the film premiered he took to Facebook to talk about what the film meant to him and how far he had come. "One day, I was overtaken by such a strong curiosity to know who my biological father is, that I took it into my own hands. This film is my real life; a coping mechanism, if you will." He went on to say how Father's Day used to fill him with sadness due to his estrangement from his father, and how in the making of the film he learned to be grateful for the gifts and relationships that he does have in his life.
5. He moved to Los Angeles for his mother
Cole was raised by a single mother. He was born in Traverse City, Michigan and spent his early years there. He and his mother moved to Los Angeles while he was still young, so his mother could pursue her acting career. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Cole later said that it was his mother's love of acting that inspired him to pursue an acting career himself.
6. He and Willow Smith are likely not monogamous
Willow Smith has stated on Red Table Talk that she isn't straight and isn't monogamous. She has said that ideally she would like to date one man and one woman. She went on to say, "I'm not the kind of person that is constantly looking for new sexual experiences. I focus a lot on the emotional connection, and I feel like if I were to find two people of the different genders that I really connected with and we had a romantic and sexual connection, I don't feel like I would feel the need to try to go find more."