Midge Smith ’24
Smith pursues her calling while championing her brother’s Netflix stardom
If you’re one of the tens of millions of people who have watched the beautiful story of ClemsonLIFE alumnus Tanner Smith ’22 unfold on Netflix’s smash hit Love on the Spectrum, then you’ve no doubt noticed his sister, Midge Smith, who makes regular appearances on the show supporting her brother.
If you’re one of Tanner’s millions of followers on social media, you’ve seen her in any number of his posts. Watch the clip of Jack Black surprising Tanner on The Kelly Clarkson Show that went viral last year, and there’s Midge sitting on the couch next to him.
“Her best trait is her genuine desire to truly know people,” says her mom, Nicci Smith. “Midge is the most intentional and pure-hearted person I know. Her zest for life is unmatched.”
Midge grew up with Tanner, older sister Taylor Smith Owens ’19 and younger brother Maverick Smith on the family’s cotton and peanut farm in Saint Matthews, South Carolina. She enrolled in Clemson University’s College of Education in 2020 to earn a teaching degree when Tanner was a junior in the ClemsonLIFE program.
In Midge’s junior year at Clemson, Love on the Spectrum debuted and launched Tanner into the stratosphere of fame. It’s an experience very few people have ever had to navigate, whether they have autism or not.
For Midge, it was like the sky cracked open, allowing the public eye to peer in and see her brother as she’d seen him her whole life — as a gift to the world.
“Midge has handled Tanner’s fame with grace and energy,” says Nicci. “She and my other two children adore their brother and are his biggest cheerleaders. They have been there when things were not glamorous or fun or exciting, and watching them cheer him on and celebrate his unexpected success has been truly beautiful.”
Midge has become a little famous herself by being featured on her brother’s show. “I have to get dressed to go to the grocery store these days,” she laughs. “I can’t just pop over there in my pajamas anymore.”
Midge teaches third grade at Lake Forest Elementary in Greenville, South Carolina. She’s excited to launch the career she feels she was destined for, but there is one dream she holds even closer to her heart than being a teacher, and it springs from having lifetime front-row seats to watching her hero at work.
“I was always great with kids. They’ve always just gravitated towards me. So yeah, I kind of always knew I’d be a teacher one day, but you know what else I want to be when I grow up?” she says. “This is my real dream: I want to be a mom like my mom.”
FUN FACT: Midge has recently acquired a passion for playing pickleball.
