A young Ribeiro, with child star Keshia Knight Pulliam, at an event in 1985. Ribeiro was a child actor himself, appearing with Michael Jackson in a popular Pepsi commercial in 1983.
“It was like a dream come true for a young performer. I met Michael in rehearsal. It was really cool to work with him. My dad and I hung out with him many times after that, but that was the first time I met him,” Ribeiro remembers.
Alfonso Ribeiro is most famous for his role as Carlton Banks, Will Smith’s uppity cousin, on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
“There’s no question that I’ve been [typecast], but that meant I did something well enough for people to want to see more of it,” Ribeiro says of his beloved character.
Enjoying the success of their hit NBC sitcoms, Ribeiro and “A Different World” star Kadeem Hardison chill on set in 1990.
From 1990 to 1996, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” delivered big laughs to millions each week.
“We had an opportunity to make six seasons of great shows that I think were wonderful,” Ribeiro says.
During a memorable scene from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Carlton (Ribeiro) meets his idol, singer Tom Jones.
Ribeiro attends an event with his parents in 1996.
After “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” ended, Ribeiro joined the cast of the NBC sitcom “In the House,” with LL Cool J, from left, Kim Wayans and Maia Campbell.
“I did `In the House,’ which was very similar to Carlton, and then I felt like I had exhausted that role. So there was no reason for me to continue to put new names on the same character,” Ribeiro says.
Smith and Ribeiro attend the Producers Guild Awards in 2006. Ribeiro says the two remain close friends.
“We still hang out, go on vacation, and have a great time together. The one thing that is clear is that he’s probably the hardest working person I’ve ever met,” Ribeiro says of Smith.
Catch Ribeiro on “Catch 21,” beginning July 21 on GSN.
“The show is a lot of fun, combining the popularity of game shows with pop trivia. I think right now I’ve become a personality and not just an actor,” Ribeiro says of his new hosting gig.
