Time for a holiday deep dive into the beloved "Fresh Prince of Bel Aire" TV series. Why? Well, I was browsing YouTube this morning, and saw the reunion of Will and Alfonso on the Graham Norton show.
Believe it or not, I have quite often wondered if Alfonso was bitter about Will's success and riches. So, I looked it up. Alfonso is doing just fine financially. That leads me to wonder about Jazzy Jeff, who probably is really bitter about Will's second career as an actor after they came up and found sucess as a duo.
Here are the numbers (according to Celebrity Net Worth):
Will Smith: $260 Million USD
Jazzy Jeff: $8.6 Million USD
Alfonso Riberio (Carlton): $7 Million USD
It shouldn't come as a surprise Jazzy Jeff is richer than Carlton, he did have a pretty good run in the music industry. I assumed he was broke, as I have seen him advertised performing at Cheerleaders in Pittsburgh (that's a strip club, in case you didn't know :/). I guess a strip club tour is lucrative?
The year "Fresh Prince of Bel Aire" first aired (1990), I also found myself moving from the bustling metropolis of Erie, PA to the small town farming community of Union City, PA. The circumstances were not exactly the same as Will's move, but I was in a bit of heat with truancy from school, and was a trouble making street rat running with a like minded crowd. I was 15, and didn't want to move at all. After months of fighting it, I finally accepted my position, and made friends with a musician oriented crowd in my new enviroment.
I used to kid that I was the Fresh Prince of Union City, and in my mind, I absolutely was. The "new kid" syndrome fit my ego very well, and Erie was the big city to kids in the country community. I ate that shit up. The perception of knowing something others only heard about kept me feeling a tad dangerous, but in hindsight, it was a joke.
Will Smith's character suffered the same fate, as street kid struggling to fit in a prep school environment. Set to a comedic backdrop, it was a perfect marriage given the early 90's hip-hop culture.
These days, I am not a fan of laugh tracks, back then, I cared a bit less. I really loved the show, and I still do. It was a transition show of sorts, bridging the gap between family oriented sit-coms of the 80's and the new breed of comedy shows soon to become the norm (Seinfield, Friends, Mad About You, etc). It is still funny, and finding new life with snippets on YouTube.
It's hard to be mad at any move Will Smith makes these day. He has become one of the highest paid actors for good reason. His skill set is amazing, but I will always be a fan of his original comedic chops.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nago
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