Alfonso Ribeiro Says ‘Fresh Prince’ Role Ruined His Career
Alfonso Ribeiro is a star because of his role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He played Carlton, the yuppie who made a cringeworthy dance trend famous. However, while he knows he owes everything to Carlton, Ribeiro also said the role ruined his acting career.
Here is what Alfonso Ribeiro said about his mixed feelings about playing Carlton on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Alfonso Ribeiro Says Carlton Was The Worst Thing That Happened To Him
Alfonso Ribeiro starred as Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for its entire run. That was six seasons and 148 episodes. The show made Will Smith a star and helped catapult him into a hugely successful movie career. However, for Alfonso, his career went in the other direction thanks to that popular sitcom role.
In an interview with Closer Weekly, Ribeiro said his role as Carlton was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He also said it was the worst thing that ever happened to him. “It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn’t see me as anything else,” he said.
Alfonso also said the sacrifice to having a role that remains popular three decades later was that he couldn’t have an acting career anymore. It seems similar to other actors who weren’t able to move on. Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved By The Bell) and Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters) are other examples of actors trapped by characters they played.
However, he loves the memories of his time on Fresh Prince. “It was about the cast and spending time with them,” he said. “Those are some great memories of just being together.”
Alfonso Ribeiro Found His New Career
After his time on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Alfonso still had an acting career. He starred in In the House for three seasons with LL Cool J. However, his true vocation is on reality TV and game shows.
He was the host of Catch 21 for 365 episodes. That aired on the Game Show Network for five seasons, with Ribeiro as the host and Mikki Padilla as the card dealer. He has been the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos since 2015. He has also been the co-host of Dancing With The Stars since 2022.
However, his career as an actor in movies and scripted TV shows is almost non-existent now. “I would go back to acting if it was exactly the right thing,” Alfonso said in the interview. However, for now, he said his happiest moments were competing on Dancing with the Stars, getting to host the show, and getting America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Do you miss seeing Alfonso Ribeiro acting in movies and TV shows? What are your best memories of him? Let us know in the comments below.
- ‘Young And The Restless’ Star Conner Floyd Demoted - June 28, 2024
- Wendy Williams Mass Fortune Disappeared Under Guardianship - June 28, 2024
- ‘The View’ Joy Behar Hints At Sexuality, ‘Closet Lipstick Lesbian’? - June 28, 2024