What The Cast Of Fresh Prince Looks Like Today
It's been over 20 years since we were chillin' out, maxin', and relaxin' all cool with Will and the Banks family, but we remember The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air like it was just yesterday. After the show ended, some of the cast traded Bel-Air for Hollywood while others opted to leave the spotlight altogether. If you watch re-runs, you can still catch the cast as they were during the height of Fresh Prince fame, but here's a peek at what they look like today.
Will Smith
Although Will Smith may have left his throne as the prince of Bel-Air, he quickly found fame as Hollywood royalty.
Will Smith rose to fame playing a fictionalized version of himself on the beloved '90s sitcom. He was the mischievous, distant cousin we never knew we needed — until we met Will Smith, of course. Over the course of the show's run, Smith developed from an actor who had to mouth everyone else's lines to remember his own, to an actor who delivered some of most memorable, heartbreaking lines of the entire series.
After the show wrapped in 1996, Smith's career immediately took off and he starred in Independence Day that same year. His momentum continued with Men in Black in 1997 and Enemy of the State in 1998. These days, Smith is casually starring in Oscar-winning films like Suicide Squad while trying not to be outdone by his very talented, very interesting family members, Jada, Willow, and Jaden Smith.
Alfonso Ribeiro
If just seeing Alfonso Ribeiro's face doesn't make you remember the "Carlton Dance," you were clearly doing the '90s wrong. Ribeiro played Carlton Banks, the resident tattletale we all loved to hate. Although Ribeiro has had some screen time here and there after Fresh Prince, including a starring role on In the House, alongside LL Cool J, the actor feels his role as Carlton "pigeonholed" him and prevented his career from taking off.
Despite his lack of acting roles over the years, Ribeiro has managed to say in front of the camera with numerous appearances on game shows and reality shows, with his most recent appearance being on season 19 of Dancing with the Stars (which he won, because of course he did).
Ribeiro married his first wife, Robin Stapler, in 2002 but the two split due to irreconcilable differences. They share a daughter, Sienna. He married his current wife, Angela Unkrich, in July 2012 and the couple have two boys, Alfonso Lincoln and Anders Reyn, who were born in 2013 and 2015, respectively. We can only hope that Carlton – err, Ribeiro will pass his phenomenal dancing skills on to his children.
Joseph Marcell
English actor, Joseph Marcell, played the Banks' British butler, Geoffrey, for all six seasons. Affectionately known by Will as G, behind his proper demeanor we always knew that Geoffrey had the perfect shady joke for any and every situation. To some, he was the real star of the show.
Although post-Fresh Prince people still insist on calling him Geoffrey, the actor has indeed had other roles. He's had recurring gigs on The Bold and the Beautiful from 2003 to 2004 and on EastEnders in 2006. Marcell currently lives in London, serves on the board of the Globe Theater, and stars in Shakespearean productions – we think Geoffrey would definitely approve.
Janet Hubert
Janet Hubert, aka Aunt Vivian #1, played the mother of the Banks' family from the show's premiere until the end of season 3. When the show returned for season 4, there was a whole new Aunt Viv and a whole lot of controversy. Rumors have pointed to the on-set tension between Hubert and co-star, Smith, as the reason behind the actress' quick dismissal. To this day, Hubert insists that she was never difficult on set and that Smith simply "got caught up in a lie."
While the rest of the cast was filming seasons 4 through 6, Hubert made some guest appearances on shows like The Jamie Foxx Show, NYPD Blue, and even on an episode of Friends in 2002. Even all these years later, it seems Hubert hasn't given up her feud with Smith. According to Variety, she took to Facebook in March of 2017 to address reunion rumors, saying, "There will never be a true reunion of the Fresh Prince. I have no interest in seeing any of these people on that kind of level."
Daphne Maxwell Reid
The only person who probably benefited from all the Hupert-Smith drama was Daphne Maxwell Reid, aka Aunt Vivian #2. She took over mom duties from the beginning of season 4, just after the birth of Nicky Banks, through the rest of the series.
In 1982, she married fellow '90s sitcom parent, Tim Reid, best known for his role as Tia and Tamera Mowry's father, Ray Campbell, on Sister, Sister. We couldn't dream up a more perfect '90s union if we tried. After the show ended, she worked on a few shows and movies here and there including Crossing Jordan, Eve and Let's Stay Together. However, her most iconic role is still as Aunt Viv ... #2. These days, you can find Reid focusing on her photography business, Fresh Prints.
DJ Jazzy Jeff
If you don't recognize this face, it's probably because you're more used to seeing this character's flailing limbs as he was physically thrown out of the Banks' house time and time again. DJ Jazzy Jeff played Will's partner in crime on the show, Jazz, but the two were actually friends in real life prior to the show. In fact, the duo won the first-ever rap Grammy back in 1989.
When the show ended, DJ Jazzy Jeff returned to what he knew best – music. Most recently, he worked with rapper Mac Miller on his album, 92 Til Infinity, as well as doing audio work on the 2015 movie, Straight Outta Compton.
James Avery
James Avery played the patriarch of the Banks' family and the glue that held them together, Phillip Banks. Despite the constant antics of his nephew and children, Banks never deviated from his role as a loving father and uncle.
Uncle Phil is a hard act to follow, but Avery still managed to have a widely successful career after the series wrapped. He particularly enjoyed success as a voice actor for shows like The Wild Thornberrys, The Proud Family and most notably — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the voice of Shredder. Some of his other television credits include That '70s Show, The Closer and L.A. Law. The classically-trained actor worked up until his death in 2013 due to complications during open heart surgery — he was 68. Following Avery's death, numerous Fresh Prince co-stars, including Smith, took to social media to share memories and gratitude. Smith said it best, "Every young man needs an Uncle Phil."
Ross Bagley
And last but not least, the youngest member of the Banks' family, Nicky. Although the character of Nicky Banks was introduced in season 3, Bagley did not play the role until season 5 — when Nicky had aged from a baby to a young child.
He was already a familiar face when he first appeared as Nicky, having starred in The Little Rascals as Buckwheat that same year, in 1994. After his two seasons on the show, Bagley went on to act alongside his former co-star, Smith, in the movie Independence Day. Aside from a few guest appearances in the late '90s, Bagley took a long hiatus from Hollywood to focus on school. In 2012, he graduated from California State University with a degree in cinema and television. Most recently, he has re-entered the acting world and appeared in the 2015 movie Gnome Alone.
Tatyana Ali
At just 11, Tatyana Ali made our hearts melt as Ashley, the Banks' youngest daughter. We watched as little Ashley grew up right before our eyes.
Since the show's series finale in 1996, Ali (no relation to Muhammad Ali) has enjoyed an extensive acting career as well as much success in her personal life. She pursued a music career immediately after the show ended. We can't say we're surprised after we all saw how insanely talented she was when Ashley Banks made her big singing debut. In 1998, she released her debut album, Kiss the Sky which was certified gold in 1999.
In terms of her filmography, Ali has been featured in films with the likes of Morgan Freeman and Rose McGowan in Kiss the Girls and Jawbreaker, respectively. Even when Ali isn't acting, she can still hold her own. In 2002, the actress earned a degree in Afro-American history and government from Harvard University. During President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, Ali traveled the United States as a spokesperson and even headed voter registration drives on college campuses.
Karyn Parsons
Karyn Parsons played the role of the ditzy and spoiled Hilary Banks — and she did it oh-so well. Over the course of the show's six-year run, we watched as the oldest Banks' child experienced perhaps the most drastic evolution of all the characters going from spoiled brat to self-aware young woman.
Post Fresh Prince, we haven't really seen much of Parsons in front of the camera aside from a handful of movies in the late '90s and early '00s, and a few short-lived television gigs. She did, however, take her role of Hilary Banks on the road in episodes of Blossom and Out All Night in 1992, while Fresh Prince was still on the air.
Parsons' first marriage to Reservoir Dogs actor, Randy Brooks didn't last long. In 2003, she married her second husband, director Alexandre Rockwell, with whom she has two children. Nowadays, she runs Sweet Blackberry, a film company that strives to educate children about the stories of influential African-Americans.