What does Suni Lee's boyfriend Jaylin Smith do for a living?

Suni Lee has gained rapid fame over the years thanks to her exceptional skills in the sport of artistic gymnastics and her enthusiastic personality. As is the case with fame, it came combined with a closer look at her personal life. Last January, it was revealed via her Instagram that the American gymnast was in a relationship with Jaylin Smith.

Smith is a student-athlete who plays American football as a sophomore safety for the University of Southern California Trojans. As a senior in high school, he received nine university offers in total and chose to go to USC to play for the Trojans.

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Lee's boyfriend Jaylin Smith had his career boosted from an appearance on Snoop Dogg's Netflix docuseries, Coach Snoop

Prior to his college career, Smith starred on Snoop Dogg's Netflix docuseries, Coach Snoop, which followed the progress of young footballers from across the country.

The show also covered the tragic passing of Smith's mother and how the young athlete tried to deal with his grief while maintaining his form. Towards the end of the show, he helped his team win the title and came out as a national prospect who saw multiple college offers.

Speaking to CBS Sports, Smith detailed how the show helped him as a young athlete:

"Oh man, it was a blessing. A young kid from where I’m from, you never really get that opportunity to play at a high level ... For sure, I don’t know what I would be doing without them…they got me far. They exposed me to different, other people you know, other people seeing who I was…it helped me out tremendously in the long run."

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Suni Lee and Jaylen Smith faced backlash after making their relationship public

The pair made their relationship public in December 2021 via their social media platforms. Soon after, the pair found themselves on the receiving end of hateful comments detailing their interracial relationship.

Lee addressed this under the comments section of a TikTok video posted by a user in support of the athlete and her relationship. The user said:

"I know that Sunisa will be judged by certain eyes in the Hmong American Community because her man is Black ... LOVE is LOVE, no matter what race or gender you are. Keep doing you QUEEN."

Sunisa Lee of Team United States competes during the Women's Balance Beam Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

The gymnast commented on the post:

"This makes me so happy. I've received so much hate ... They support me when it's beneficial for them, never when it comes to my happiness. Thank you!"

Lee had previously opened up to Popsugar about racial hatred directed at her because of her Asian descent. She recalled an incident that involved a car full of goons harassing her and her friends after a night out. The group was waiting for their Uber when a car full of goons hurled racist comments at them, saying things like "chingchong" and "go back to where they came from". The Olympian said:

"I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off ... I didn't do anything to them, and having the reputation, it's so hard because I didn't want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen."