The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Trivia

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• Actor Allusion: "You don't get it, Will. Parents just don't understand." (cue Aside Glance)
  • "Oh, please, like they're gonna take someone who's never acted before and give him his own TV show!" (another Aside Glance)
  • "Vivian, you are so naive. You'd believe that boy if he told you he was a rap star whose latest album just went platinum!" (cue Aside Glance from Janet Hubert Whitten rather than Will)
  • In response to a character's truthful claim, Will sarcastically snaps, "Yeah, and I just won a Grammy."
  • Carlton to Will and Jazz: "I can understand why you're jealous. After all, you two have no musical talent whatsoever!" (cue Will and Jazz looking at Carlton like he's crazy).
  • In the pilot, Hilary and Carlton's establishing moment is a fight in which they argue over the correct pronunciation of "Porsche". Alfonso Ribiero was in Silver Spoons, wherein his character's father and Ricky Schroeder's character's father had a very similar argument.
  • Any time Carlton dances, it's hilariously dorky... unless it's to Michael Jackson, in which case he busts out moves worthy of Michael himself; Ribiero was a backup dancer for Jackson before he was cast on The Fresh Prince.
  • Eric, Hilary's boyfriend of the week in a second season episode, is played by Malcolm Jamal-Warner. He says "Everyone at dinner? I thought that only happened on The Cosby Show."
• The Danza: Subverted, Will Smith plays Will Smith. However, in real life, Will's actual name is Willard, while in-show, Will's name is William. On an episode of David Letterman and again on Graham Norton, Smith said that Alfonso Ribero advised him to do this, because people would be calling him by his character's name for the rest of his life, as demonstrated by the fact they went out and were called "Will!" and "Carlton!"
  • Will's best friend from Philly, "Jazz" was played by DJ Jazzy Jeff.
• Executive Meddling: At the start of Season 4, Janet Hubert-Whitten is no longer part of the cast, and the role of Vivian is recast to Daphne Maxwell Reid. No reasons were given to the public for over a decade, but Whitten claims that Will Smith played a role in her sacking.
  • Alphonso Ribiero confirms that the whole cast was like one big family, except for Whitten, who was difficult to work with and toxic to be around, and really killed the mood on set.
    • This was further corroborated by James Avery in a June 2013 edition of OMG! Insider, in which he remarks that he constantly had to remind Hubert-Whitten that the show was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, not "Philip and Vivian of Bel-Air".
• Hey, It's That Voice!: James Avery's voice will be instantly recognizable to children of the 80s as the Shredder.
• I Am Not Spock: Averted: Will Smith chose to call his character "Will Smith" because he knew he would be referred to as his character's name for the rest of his life. According to interviews, he was acting on the advice of Alfonso Ribeiro who hasn't quite escaped this. "When we go out together, people are like: 'Will, Will! Carlton!'"
• Money, Dear Boy: Had it not been for Will Smith's financial troubles (he overspent, and didn't pay income taxes) during his initial music career, the series would never have happened.
• The Other Darrin: Janet Hubert-Whitten was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid in 1993.
  • Lampshaded in one episode, where Jazz comments that there's been something different about Vivian ever since she gave birth to Nicky and Will then breaks the fourth wall to stare at the audience.