‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’: What Is Alfonso Ribeiro Doing Now?
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was Will Smith’s vehicle. It showed he could be an actor. Even though he was playing a character named Will Smith, the role was actually based on creator Benny Medina. Smith did all right after the show but one of his standout costars was Alfonso Ribeiro as cousin Carlton.
If you were a Ribeiro fan on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and haven’t seen much of him since, Showbiz Cheat Sheet is here to help. Ribeiro did not disappear after Fresh Prince ended in 1996, so here’s where you can find him today.
Alfonso Ribeiro before ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
Compared to Smith, Ribeiro was already a veteran actor by the time Fresh Prince of Bel-Air began in 1989. Ribeiro appeared on the sitcom Silver Spoons as a character named Alfonso. Silver Spoons let Ribeiro show off his dance moves, and Riberio actually wrote a break dance instructional book which you could order by telephone in the ‘80s.
You may also recognize a young Ribeiro in Michael Jackson’s Pepsi ad. He also appeared in TV movies and after-school specials. In fact, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was an introduction to a more grown-up Ribeiro.
Alfonso Ribeiro after ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
Ribeiro actually reprised his role of Carlton Banks on a 1995 episode of In the House. Later, he joined the show as a new character in its third season through its fifth and final one. Ribeiro also reunited with Smith in his music video for Wild Wild West.
You may have heard a lot of Ribeiro after 1996 and didn’t even know it. He did voice work for Extreme Ghostbusters, Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child.
Since 2015, Ribeiro has been hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos. Remember the show that began with Bob Saget in the ‘90s. Americans never stopped filming their families. There are probably even more to choose from now that everyone has smartphones.
In a 2020 State Farm ad campaign, Ribeiro played a superfan of Chris Paul.
The legacy of Carlton
Carlton was Will’s nerdy, by the books cousin. He endeared himself to fans with his signature dance, The Carlton. The Carlton was hardly as cool as Ribeiro’s ‘80s breakdancing moves, but he embraced it wholeheartedly. Years later, Ribeiro unsuccessfully tried to sue the creators of Fortnite over the Flossing dance, which bore striking similarities to The Carlton.
Ribeiro was more successful in the world of dance as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. He won the season in 2014 and has since appeared as a guest, a judge and a host. Of course, Riberio joined his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-stars in a reunion special for HBO Max that aired in 2020.
Ribeiro has not yet appeared on the Peacock reboot Bel-Air. Olly Sholotan plays Carlton in the streaming drama.
