10 Things You May Not Know About ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was a staple television show of the 90s.

The silly sitcom was more than the stick of dynamite that launched Will Smith’s career, the family-friendly jewel left a lasting impression on both black and white America. Who could forget Carlton’s signature dance or Hollywood’s most-rapped theme song? This week, we celebrate The Prince’s 18th b-day so take a few moments to indulge in a little nostalgia and flip the page to learn 10 things you may not have known about the legendary show.

Cabbie

The cab driver who said, “Smell you later” to Will was actually Quincy Jones. The show’s executive producer made three cameos on the series.

Bankruptcy

Will Smith was nearly bankrupt before The Fresh Prince of Bel Air took off. He spent most of his first year’s salary cleaning up his crappy credit.

Photo Credit: Getty

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Carlton Dance

Alfonso Ribeiro may have made immortalized the “Carlton dance,” famous but he credits Friends star Courtney Cox’s moves in Bruce Springsteen’s “Dance in the Dark” music video.

Acting

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was Will Smith’s first acting role.

Word Play

Uncle Phil’s law firm; Firth, Wynn, & Meyer was a play on the musical group Earth, Wind and Fire.

Photo Credit: Getty

Cancelled

NBC originally cancelled the show after its fourth season, but reinstated it for two more seasons because of overwhelming fan support.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Love

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett met on the set of the series.

Photo Credit: Getty

Tyra Banks

Thanks to Will Smith, Tyra Banks became nationally known. While she had great notoriety internationally she didn’t have an American audience that early in her career.

Photo Credit: Getty

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Boyz II Men

Nicky’s name—Nicholas Michael Shawn Nathan Wanya Banks—is a tribute to Boyz II Men.

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Jazzy Jeff

Will’s bestie is constantly being tossed out the house by Uncle Phil, but ironically, the gag was only shot once. Every time you see the scene, Jazzy Jeff’s wearing the same shirt.