During an interview with Extra’s Rachel Lindsay in November 2021, actor Alfonso Ribeiro spoke about how he didn’t intend to read his longtime friend and co-star from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Will Smith’s memoir because of their tight friendship.
“For many, many, many years, people speculated about them as a family,” Ribeiro commented. “They are laying it out there in a way that is their truth. I don’t know if I’ll read the book because I know the people.”
When Lindsay asked Ribeiro if he was surprised at how candid Smith was about his life during Red Table Talk episodes in his memoir, the veteran actor responded by saying the only thing he was surprised about was Smith doing it for the public.
“I was only surprised about the fact that he’s doing it, you know, for the world to see,” Ribeiro said about his friend. “I mean, there’s very little that I don’t know in terms of their lives and what happens over there. And I’ve always been like, for me, it’s like ‘that your business.’ I don’t tell anybody how to live their lives, and nobody tells me how to live my life. We’ll share ideas and share thoughts, but I’ve known a lot and I [kind of] just go ‘y’all make it work.'”
In Smith’s memoir, which was released in early November 2021, he revealed intimate moments that occurred in his life. One moment he recounted was with his youngest son Jaden Smith. The then-teen asked him about being emancipated. He also talked about when he considered killing his father, who was abusive to his mother.
Ribeiro played Smith’s cousin, Carlton Banks, on the sitcom, running from 1990 to 1996. Carlton became a famous character because of the iconic “Carlton Dance.”
Besides playing Carlton, Ribeiro has hosted America’s Funniest Videos and Catch 21.
