Will Smith and the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air cast reunited for some chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool
Aux Features Unknown
In what’s probably the best Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air content to hit the internet since “The Fesh Pince Of Blair,” Will Smith staged a reunion of the beloved ‘90s sitcom via his Snapchat Discover show, Will From Home. As Smith notes during the reunion, the pilot was shot 30 years ago this September.
Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks), Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) and DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazz) were all on hand, as was Daphne Maxwell Reid, who stepped in to play Aunt Vivian after Janet Hubert’s controversial departure. (Hubert, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be found.)
The reminiscences are sweet, however. Ali, for example, cites Smith as one of her biggest supporters when she decided to pursue music at Harvard following the show’s finale. “I saw the world through music because of you, because you believed in me,” she tells him, recalling a moment they shared together when he encouraged her to pursue higher education.
Elsewhere, the group celebrates the late James Avery, who played Uncle Phil. Marcell recalls his audition, and the “special” feeling he experienced with Avery and the rest of the cast. “Coming to do the audition, spending that few moments with Avery standing outside smoking a cigarette, coming in, meeting you,” he said. “I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t apprehensive. It just seemed natural and I enjoyed it. It’s special. It is, no matter what anybody says, it is special.”
Perhaps most interestingly, Smith reveals that it was Ribeiro’s idea for Smith’s character to go by the rapper’s real name. “The reason that my character’s name is Will Smith is because of you, do you remember that?” Smith asked him. “It was such a deep insight that you had. You said, ‘Because people are going to call you that for the rest of your life.’”
Check out some more previews below, and head here to watch the full reunion via Snapchat Discover.
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16 Comments
1. Everyone aged super well, particularly Alfonso Ribeiro. Nice work, people.2. I love original Aunt Viv, and will accept no substitute. Second Aunt Viv was nice and all, but original AV was fucking funny.
Not sure she’ll be attending any future reunions.
Indeed, she’s probably exhausted from working curbside delivery at Target these days after Will Smith destroyed her career by constantly reminding her she wasn’t working on a show called “The Fresh Auntie From Bel Air”.
Actually, that was Avery that kept reminding her, not Will.
If she’s in an NYC branch, she’ll at least get the 7 PM applause.
In regards to question 1? It don’t crack, baby.
Ribeiro still has regular work. I believe he still hosts America’s Funniest Home Videos and he’s back on the game show revival of Catch 21.
“[B]ut original AV was fucking funny.” Something often said, wistfully, about this very website.
“Back to life, back to reality…”
Hold up, hold up … That cast picture chosen for this article – so many questions! It has Dwayne Wayne in it! Was there a Fresh Prince / A Different World crossover I missed? And what’s Al B. Sure (aka the glorious Monobrow) doing with the cast?
On another note: #WheresTheRealAuntViv #JusticeForJanet.(A rule of thumb: if I stumble upon an old ep on TV – if it’s got Aunt Viv #1 it’s the show in it’s heyday and is bound to be funny. If it’s got the other one – yawn!)
Avery’s smiling like it’s school picture day and he refuses to cooperate.
Everyone in that photo has some variation of class picture face. The only correct expression is Joseph Marcell’s this is some bullshit face.
It’s heartwarming to see that Will Smith still gets along so well with his Fresh Prince castmates. So many times before we see a TV actor hit it big as a major Hollywood star and then try to distance themselves as much as they can from their show of origin. It’s nice to see that Will Smith still loves his old castmates and supports them.
I’ve heard he even remembers old crew members from the show as well. Honestly, I think he’s just super grateful that ‘Fresh Prince’ gave him all the opportunities it did (coupled, of course, with his superhuman charisma) and will always appreciate the people who shared it with him.
“You said, ‘Because people are going to call you that for the rest of your life.’” I’m guessing that Ribeiro learned that lesson for himself, because I refuse to believe people who come up to him in the street call him anything but “Carlton”.