Jason Weaver is trending after saying he may not be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and the internet immediately pushed back. The actor and singer made the comments during an appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast.
“I may not be the biggest star in the world,” Weaver said, explaining that he hasn’t been on marquees around the world or headlined movies that made billions at the box office. “But I’m that guy when I go into my community and amongst my people, and they stop, and they acknowledge my work.”
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Fans were not about to let that slide. One commenter wrote that Hollywood has him feeling like he’s not worthy while “we know exactly who he is.” Another declared that no Jason Weaver downplay will be tolerated, even if it’s coming from Jason Weaver himself. Others called him the GOAT and an absolute legend.
The love makes sense once you look at his résumé. Born in Chicago in 1979, Jason Weaver started young, appearing alongside Whoopi Goldberg in The Long Walk Home in 1990. Two years later, he landed the role that put him on the map: playing young Michael Jackson, ages 9 to 14, in the ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. He even provided the vocals, and the role earned him a Young Artist Award.
From there, he joined Brandy on the ABC sitcom Thea as Jerome Turrell. Then in 1994 came the voice an entire generation grew up singing along to. Jason Weaver was the singing voice of young Simba in Disney’s The Lion King, performing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” The song has since gone double platinum.
The business behind that role is a story of its own. Weaver has said Disney offered him about $2 million upfront, but his mother, veteran studio singer Kitty Haywood, pushed for royalties instead. He took about $100,000 upfront plus a share of royalties, and he says he has since earned far more than the original offer. He has repeatedly credited his mother for keeping him from making what he called one of the biggest mistakes of his career.
In 1995, he released his debut album, Love Ambition, and performed on Soul Train. Two years later, he became a household name all over again as Marcus Henderson, the cool older brother on The WB sitcom Smart Guy. The show ran from 1997 to 1999 and found a second life in reruns on Disney Channel, introducing him to even more kids.
The 2000s kept him busy. He starred in the civil rights TV movie Freedom Song with Danny Glover, then played Ernest opposite Nick Cannon in Drumline, one of the most beloved Black films of its era. He appeared in The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks, played Teddy alongside T.I. in ATL, and showed up as Ray Ray in Lottery Ticket. If you grew up in the 2000s, you also know his voice from Chingy’s hit “One Call Away.”
Today, Jason Weaver plays Rashaad “Shaad” Marshall on Showtime’s The Chi, bringing his story full circle back to his hometown of Chicago.
During the podcast, Weaver explained that his journey looked different from some of the white child stars of his era, and that he made peace with that a long time ago. When doors weren’t easy to walk through, he decided to build his own and work with other Black creatives who could open new opportunities.
He said his gift isn’t for his own glory but for inspiring Black kids in places like the South Side of Chicago, South Central Los Angeles, the Bronx and Liberty City in Miami.
That’s exactly why the culture refuses to let him sell himself short. Jason Weaver may measure success by the people who stop him in the street, but by any measure, that list of people is long, and they all know exactly who he is.
