Smiths, Netflix team up for comedy show to benefit Catching Hope

LOS ANGELES -- Before the domestic Opening Day back in March, Dodgers catcher Will Smith agreed to a long-term deal that will keep him in Los Angeles for the next 10 seasons. With that deal, Smith hopes to spend his entire playing career with the Dodgers.

But even more importantly for Smith and his wife, Cara, they’re looking forward to making their mark off the field in the Los Angeles area with their Catching Hope Foundation. Their latest initiative happened Wednesday night, when the Smiths joined forces with Netflix to put on a comedy show at The Orpheum Theatre as part of the “Netflix is a Joke” festival that has dominated the headlines in Los Angeles over the last week.

As Netflix came up with more events, they reached out to the Dodgers and the Smiths about potentially collaborating. Smith immediately agreed.

In the middle of the show, Catching Hope and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation hosted a live auction. The most bid on item was a signed Shohei Ohtani jersey. Then, it was a jersey signed by members of the Dodgers. In the end, the live auction drew in around $35,000, which is all going to Catching Hope.

The event started with host Cedric the Entertainer delivering a monologue. Smith then took the stage to welcome everyone in attendance, including a long list of teammates such as Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Lux, Jason Heyward and many more. Manager Dave Roberts, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes were also in attendance.

Once Smith delivered a few jokes, comedians Dustin Nickerson, Tom Papa, Aiko Tanaka, Heather McMahan and Felipe Esparza took the stage. Magician Justin Willman closed out the show, blowing the minds of the audience alongside James Outman, who was called upon as a volunteer.

Freeman, Betts, Kershaw and Kiké Hernández were also mentioned as part of different jokes throughout the night. A heavy Dodger-friendly crowd also opened the show with loud “Let’s Go Dodgers” chants.

The Catching Hope Foundation was started by the Smiths in 2021 and has already raised a ton of money with different events across the city. The proceeds of the foundation are designed to help at-risk low-income youth with critical skills needed for leadership, self-advocacy and self-sufficiency.