The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the most beloved shows in television history, so you can imagine that there were major expectations when the recent reunion special was first announced. Thankfully, it more than exceeded expectations by taking fans on a heartfelt and hilarious stroll down memory lane with Will Smith and his former co-stars. The special resulted in an abundance of great material, so much that not everything could be added to the final edit. But luckily for us, Will Smith has now dropped additional footage online for viewers to enjoy.
Will Smith released the 7-minute video to his YouTube channel and, in it, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans can find a number of sweet nuggets they didn’t see during the reunion. Some of the footage is extended from content we’ve seen, such as the moment when the co-stars first greet each other on the recreated set and when the cast was jamming with their instruments. However, new moments show Smith exploring the set and giving observations on a few props. Based on the video, it also appears that the reunion was also going to feature footage from the cast’s visit to the original Fresh Prince mansion.
The relationship between the characters of Will and Carlton was touched on during the special, but Will Smith went further in explaining the similarities between the pair. This also included a few nice behind-the-scenes moments shared between Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro as they filmed the reunion.
One of the highlights of the Fresh Prince reunion was the tribute to the late James Avery, who played Philip “Uncle Phil” Banks on the show. Not only did Will Smith’s video include more classic images of Avery but, during one of the interview segments, Smith recalled a key piece of advice that the late actor gave him.
Of course, one of the show’s biggest moments was the long-awaited reunion between Smith and original Aunt Viv actress Janet Hubert. The conversation was as emotional and enlightening as you would imagine, and the new footage shows the two sharing even more sentiments about their decades-long feud and what it was like to meet up again after so many years.
Fans were probably curious as to what may have been cut from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion, and it was certainly great of Will Smith to share some additional content. You can check out everything from the video for yourself down below:
With so much great material, it’s easy to imagine that Smith and his collaborators may have had a somewhat difficult time deciding what to use in the special. Though ultimately, I think they made smart decisions when figuring things out, as the essence of the show and the love the cast has for each other was always present throughout.
Both The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion and the original series can be streamed on HBO Max.
